Timeflies
by RedHood06
Summary: Ash and Pikachu are sent back in time to prevent a major tragedy that could happen in the future. Ash, though turned into a teenager again, still has all his knowledge and memories of his experiences as an adult. How will this influence the original timeline? How will this affect the people around him? Particularly, a certain brunette girl.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Pokémon, nor any of the characters.**

 **Hey guys and welcome to** ** _Timeflies._** **This is going to be an amazing story, and I am so excited to be writing it. The inspiration came from my Pandora as I typed my other story. I just want to let you guys know that this is going to be an amazing journey because I know there isn't a story like this. So enjoy it!**

 **Read and Review to let me know what you guys think!**

"Are you sure this is the right way?" said a muscular man with a deep voice. He was wearing a fitted red shirt with a yellow lightning in the middle of it and a pair of black jeans. He was also wearing a red cap with a logo of Poké ball on it.

"Pika pika, Pikapi."

"Okay, if you're sure, then I trust you."

Ash Ketchum was walking with his Pikachu through the Forbidden Forest. He was a twenty four year old Pokémon Master traveling the world battling against the strongest trainers he could find. It was a difficult journey for Ash in the beginning, but he was able to overcome all the obstacles and make his dream come true. He grew in height and had become very muscular over years because of all the training he did with his Pokémon. Ash was very proud of all of his accomplishments.

"Pika kapi," Pikachu said.

"I know it was in _your_ dream that you saw this place," Ash said. "I'm sorry I ever doubt you, Pikachu."

Pikachu is Ash's first Pokémon and best friend. The electric mouse was the only consistent companion Ash had throughout his journey and is the Pokémon Master's strongest Pokémon. Pikachu had a mysterious dream the other day that wanted him and Ash to visit this "Forbidden Forest," so that is why the two were traveling in the forest. Pikachu was skeptical at first, but he felt like the place was calling to him for help, and the little mouse was not one to ignore someone, or something, in need of help.

Ash sighed. They had been walking the forest for six hours and had not reached their destination, yet. They passed a few more trees before he spoke. "How much further do you think it will be?" He asked.

"Pika…" Pikachu calmly said.

"You mean we're here?"

Pikachu nodded.

Ash looked around the forest and saw a small clearing to his left. "Maybe we need to go there," He said pointing to the opening.

They both walked into the small clearing and noticed that is was cooler than the rest of the forest. The duo stood there for two minutes but nothing happened. Ash decided to speak up.

"Hey buddy, I think we sho-"

The raven-haired trainer was interrupted by a strange ball of light that had appeared out of nowhere. Ash and Pikachu just stared at it—mesmerized by it. All of a sudden, the light started taking the shape of a small figure. With bright flash of light, the light disappeared and the small figure showed itself to the duo.

Ash was shocked when he saw who it was. "C-celebi?"

The little green Pokémon blinked her eyes rapidly as if it were trying to wake up. She moved her head back and forth looking at both Ash and Pikachu. Celebi then smiled.

"It's nice to see you two!" She exclaimed happily.

"Um, it's nice to see you, too—I guess…" Ash said still somewhat shocked. "Wait, how are you able to talk to me? Are you doing it telepathically?"

"Pika?" Pikachu added.

"Yes, I am," Celebi answered. "It isn't hard for a legendary Pokémon to do if we really want to…Anyways, how are you guys doing? Oh, I meant to say congratulations on becoming a Pokémon Master; I knew it has always been your dream!"

Ash smiled. "Thanks, Celebi," He said. "So are you the one who sent Pikachu the dream to come to the Forbidden Forest?"

"Yes, that was me," The Time Travel Pokémon's smile had disappeared. Her whole demeanor had changed from happy to serious. "I knew you wouldn't say 'no' to Pikachu if he wanted to come to the forest, and I have something important I need to tell you."

"You need to tell me something?" Ash asked somewhat concerned.

"Well, it's more like I want you two to do something," The little green Pokémon paused for a brief moment before she continued. "But I don't know if you will both agree to do it because it can—no, it will change your lives indefinitely…"

Ash stared at Celebi blankly. He then turned to Pikachu whom had the same blank expression on his face. He didn't know what the Time Travel Pokémon wanted them to do, but she made it seem like an extremely important task that needed to be done.

"Okay, Celebi," Ash said seriously. "If Pikachu and I can do it, then it shouldn't be a problem."

"Let me explain before you agree, Ash," Celebi stated. She took in a deep breath before she continued. "I want you guys to travel back in time…"

"Travel back in time!" Ash yelled.

"Pika!"

Celebi sighed. "Yes, I want you travel back in time," She explained. "There is an event in the past that needs to change to prevent a huge catastrophe that will happen in two days. This future event will be the greatest disaster in the history of the Pokémon World."

"But why do _we_ have to do it?" Ash asked. "Are we connected to the future event that will happen in two days?"

"Exactly!" Celebi smiled at his guess. "You both are very connected to the people who will cause the major event, and I know you guys can prevent it if you go to the past."

"Pika pika kapi?" Pikachu asked the green legendary.

Ash brightened up. "Pikachu has a point!" He exclaimed. "Why can't we just try to prevent it _now_ before it even happens?"

Celebi frowned at his suggestion. "I'm sorry, but that is not a possibility…"

"Why not?" Ash questioned.

"Because you will meet your doom if you were to try and stop it then," Celebi replied. "And even if I were to tell you exactly how it happens, you wouldn't be able to change the outcome—your fate has been sealed by Arceus…"

Ash was flabbergasted. "I will meet my doom if I to stop it now…"

"Pika…" The electric mouse didn't know how to comprehend the information being said.

"Yes," Celebi added. "That is why I want to send you both to the past to prevent the idea from ever being thought of in the first place. It will change lives; it will change your lives, but I feel it is the only option left to do. The other legendary Pokémon don't want to do anything because they feel it is not in their place to intervene—I disagree. This event is so tragic I believe it should never happen. That is why I am taking action myself, or in this case, asking you two to stop it.

"I know your journey to become a Pokémon Master was difficult to achieve, Ash, but I guarantee it won't be this time around. You will become a young teenager again, but you will have the knowledge you have right now as an adult."

Ash thought about it for a moment; it seemed like the situation was very important and needed to be resolved before it could ever take place. He had one last question to ask. "If I'm going to be a young teen again, where will I be in the past and what about the Pokémon I caught when I was an older teen or adult?"

Celebi was grinning from ear to ear. She knew Ash was close to making his final decision. "All your Pokémon will remember you when you meet them in their respective regions," She explained. "They won't be strong like they are now, but you can train them to be strong again. As for where you will be placed in the timeline, it will be at the end of your Battle Frontier journey. It will help you because when you finished this journey, you had four months off before you began the Sinnoh League. Those four months could be used to travel to the different regions to catch your Pokémon."

Ash nodded. "Okay, it sounds like it makes sense," He said. "Let me just talk about this with Pikachu before we make our decision."

The Time Travel Pokémon nodded understandingly.

Ash got on one knee to talk to Pikachu.

"So, what do you think?" The trainer asked the electric mouse.

"Pika pika kapi pi pika, Pikapi…"

"I know…I was thinking the same thing—that we need to help."

"Pika pika?"

"Yeah, we should do it."

Pikachu climbed on Ash's shoulder and patted him on the head. Ash stood up before he turned and looked at Celebi.

"We're in, Celebi!" Ash stated.

"Yay!" The little green creature said as it flew in little circles. "I knew I could count on both of you."

"Pi Pika pika!" Pikachu commented.

"Yeah, you don't have worry about a thing," Ash added. "We will stop this tragedy before it even begins."

Celebi was ecstatic. "Great!" She said before she continued. "I will send you back in time when you are ready. Oh, and I'm sorry, but I can't tell you who is the main cause of the catastrophe because it is not in my power to tell you. You guys will have to figure that out on your own."

Ash frowned. "That's going to make things a little more difficult than what they already are."

"Pikachu…" Pikachu agreed.

"Just remember that it is someone you had a connection with," Celebi suggested. "Someone that was, or is, part of your journey."

"That doesn't really narrow down anybody," Ash slumped. "I made connections with pretty much everyone I met in my journey when I was young."

"If it helps, the timeline where I am sending you has a significant event that is important that can influence future events. Just remember what I told you today, and you guys should be fine."

Ash brightened up and clenched his fists. "Okay, then we are ready to go, Celebi!" He said.

Celebi smiled and spread her arms apart. "This will feel a little weird," She said.

All of a sudden, a bright flash blinded Ash and Pikachu's eyes. They both covered their eyes with their arms to block the bright flash. After what felt like hours, the flash disappeared, and Ash and Pikachu stopped shielding their eyes.

Ash opened his eyes and was surprised to see what was in front of him; he was staring at the Indigo Plateau building. He turned around and saw plenty of people with different Pokémon walking from and to the big building.

 _"_ _Wow, it worked,"_ Ash thought. _"We're in the Indigo Plateau…Hmm since we are here—and it's just after my Battle Frontier journey—that means we are here to watch May in the Grand Festival."_

Ash looked to his shoulder and saw that Pikachu was still trying to comprehend his own thoughts. Ash felt he should let his companion figure it out for himself. The raven-haired trainer then turned and continued to look at the people walking by.

 _"_ _It looks like the Grand Festival just finished,"_ Ash concluded. _"That means Ma-"_

"Hey, Ash!"

His thoughts were interrupted when Ash heard his name. He saw that his old companions—Brock and Max—were running up to him.

It was weird for Ash to see Brock without Lucy by his side or Max wearing glasses because he usually wore contacts, but he knew certain things had not happened, yet. Ash knew he had to act like they were not different to him.

"Hey, guys!" He said. "Where did you guys go?"

"Where did _we_ go?" Max said frustratingly. "You are the one who said that you were going to the bathroom and never came back!"

Ash mentally slapped himself. It sounded like something he would have said. "Oh, that's right!" Ash tried to play it off. "Sorry, I thought you said something else," He started to laugh nervously.

Brock raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay, Ash?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Brock," The raven-haired trainer was still laughing nervously. "There's no need to worry."

"Alright," The breeder said. "If you say so…"

Ash sighed in relief.

"Hey, have you guys spotted May?" Max asked. "I haven't seen her since she lost in the Grand Festival, and I'm starting to get worried…"

Ash's eyes widened when he heard May's name. He knew where she was at and wanted to talk to her alone. He knew what it felt like to lose a major competition and knew how to comfort her. Ash didn't do it in the previous timeline, but he was clueless about emotions. However, he now, though, has a mature mind to handle the situation and be a supportive friend. Ash decided to speak.

"I know where she's at," He said. "But I think I should go alone to see her."

"Why?" Max asked curiously.

"Because I know what it feels like to lose an important competition," Ash explained. "I know how to cheer her up if she's still feeling down."

"He does have a point, Max," Brock agreed with the trainer.

The young boy thought about it for a moment. "…Okay, I understand."

Ash smiled. "Alright, when I find her, we will meet you guys in the Pokémon Centre," He said.

With that, Ash ran with Pikachu on his shoulder to where May was at.

"Okay, buddy, after we comfort May, we will figure out who is the source of the tragic event of the future," Ash stated. "Is that alright?"

"Pikachu!" The electric mouse nodded.

The two time travelers are determined to prevent the future tragedy from ever happening, but will they be prepared for the changes the timeline will have because they traveled back in time? Only time will tell…

 **Alright guys! That was the first chapter. It's just supposed to be an overview of the whole story, but I hoped you guys like it. Ash will get all of his Pokémon in this story, but they won't be as strong as they are in** ** _Dreaming of You_** **. The reason being he will only have a few months to catch and train his Pokémon, and there is no way it's possible. This story will focus a lot on Ash and May, so be prepared for a lot of advanceshipping moments! There will be battles, too, just to let you guys know.**

 **Anyways, I hoped you guys enjoyed it, and tell me what you think.**

 **Remember to read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Pokémon and the characters.**

 **Hey guys! Did you guys enjoy the first chapter? I can't believe how many people liked it in only four hours! Thank you very much. Don't worry guys, I am also working on the next chapter for** _Dreaming of You_ **.**

 **Anyway guys enjoy and don't forget to read and review!**

"It should be somewhere around here, Pikachu."

"Pika ka, Pikapi?"

"No, it couldn't have been the room we just passed because it was closed."

Ash and Pikachu had entered the Indigo Plateau building five minutes ago after they had separated from Max and Brock. Now the only problem was finding the room where May was in.

"Pika pika pi," Pikachu replied to the trainer.

"I did pull as hard as I can on the door!" Ash defended himself. "Anyways, this isn't the time to start blaming each other. We need to find May."

The duo walked up to the next room and slowly opened the door. The room looked like a small auditorium; it had four rows of twelve chairs in it. When Ash and Pikachu looked around the room, they noticed that it seemed familiar to them.

"Pikachu pi."

"Yeah, this is the place," Ash commented. "I remember it, now."

Their eyes scattered the small auditorium to look for their female companion. Ash's eyes widened when he spotted her sitting at the end of the stage.

"Hey buddy, look it's May!" He told Pikachu. The brunette was sitting at the end of the stage looking at her shoes. "And it looks like she still hasn't gotten over her loss. Let's go and se—wait is that Drew walking up to her? I don't remember seeing him last time."

"Pika kapi pika…"

"You're right," Ash thought out loud. "Maybe he comforted her last time before Max and I showed up." He paused for a brief moment before he continued. "I think we should let Drew cheer her up again."

Pikachu turned and stared intently at Ash. The trainer noticed his companion was staring and sighed. "I know what you're thinking, buddy, but Drew is a teen again just like we are," Ash explained. "Maybe he was a different person as a kid than as an adult. Besides, I don't think it's such a good idea to be changing the timeline too much."

Pikachu thought about what Ash said before he nodded slowly agreeing with his best friend. The two then hid behind a chair in the back of the room to see what would happen.

 _(With May)_

"I can't believe I lost again in the Grand Festival…" May muttered to herself. She thought she had practiced and trained enough to win the competition this time around, but she still lost. May just continued to stare at shoes while in deep thought. "What did I do wrong?"

"You know it's not your fault, right?"

May turned her head to see Drew walking up to her. When he was close enough, Drew handed her a rose.

"Drew, what are you doing here?" said May as she accepted the rose.

The green-haired coordinator flicked his hair. "I saw you come in here and figured you could talk to somebody," He said as he sat next to her. "But back to what I was saying before—you shouldn't blame yourself for losing."

"Why do you say that?"

Drew sighed. "You're not competing like a real coordinator should," He blankly stated. "Your coordinating style is different than other coordinators; it looks more like something a trainer would use."

"Well, I did learn about Pokémon from Ash," May said still somewhat confused about what Drew what trying to say. "I guess some of his fighting style just rubbed off on me."

The green-haired coordinator snickered. "And that's your problem," He stated. "You're hanging around Ketchum who doesn't have any idea on how to help you win Pokémon Contests. He's keeping you from reaching your full potential."

May looked down. "Maybe you're right…"

"I know I am," Drew stared at May for a small moment before he continued. "Solidad and Harley are headed to the Johto Region to register for the Contests that just started there. It would be great if you would go too." May looked up to make eye contact with Drew. "We could travel together if you want…"

May just stared at him. She didn't know what to say. "Drew, I think y-"

"You should cut your hair. It must be a real pain in the ass to always have to flick it out of your face."

May and Drew both turned around to see who had interrupted May. They both were surprised to see who it was.

"Ash?"

"Ketchum?"

Ash just smiled.

 _(With Ash & Pikachu Two Minutes Before)_

"Well, I guess you were right, buddy," Ash stated. "It seems like he's always been an idiot."

Pikachu crossed his arms and grinned. "Pika."

"Alright, I'm sorry," The trainer apologized. "It sucks that you're always right about these things."

The electric mouse patted him on the back as if saying "I know."

Ash then stood up. "Let's go down there, Pikachu," He said. "I'm tired of hearing Drew blame me for this."

"Pika!" Ash extended his hand so his best friend could climb on his shoulder.

 _(Present Time)_

"What are you doing here, Ketchum?" Drew snarled.

"I came here looking for May," Ash told the green-haired Coordinator calmly. He then turned to look at the brunette. She still had a surprised expression on her face after hearing Ash say things about Drew's hair, but it was still obvious to Ash that she was still feeling depressed. "May, is it okay if you and me talk for a moment in private?"

May's expression turned from shock to concern. She knew Ash wasn't a person to do things in private, so she thought it must be really important. Drew, however, spoke up before May could answer.

"I know it's hard for you to understand, Ketchum," said the green-haired teen as he flicked his hair. "But May and I were having a serious conversation. So I think it'd be best if you just left."

Ash smiled. "Drew, this isn't a good time to be asking May for beauty tips."

Drew flushed a deep shade of red. "I wasn't asking her for beauty tips!"

"So you were trying to give her beauty tips?" Ash was pretending to play a fool. "You and I both know she doesn't need _any_ tips from anybody—especially with a guy with green hair."

Drew was getting furious, but May was giggling at the argument. The male Coordinator recollected himself before he spoke.

"You just don't have any style, Ketchum," He flicked his hair again. "You wouldn't know style if a Machoke slapped you in the face."

"So you guys were talking about fashion?"

"I was not asking May for beauty tips!" Drew yelled.

"Well, you should," Ash stated. "Maybe she can help you do something about that green hair of yours."

"Ahhh!" Drew yelled in frustration.

By this time, May was laughing at how Ash was infuriating Drew.

The green-haired coordinator took in deep breath and clam himself down again. He then turned to May and smiled. "I think it's best if we talk later, May. Until then, think about what I said, okay?" Drew then glanced fiercely at Ash who was smiling. "Later, Ketchum." With that, Drew walked out of the room leaving Ash and May alone at the stage. The brunette decided to speak up first.

"So what was that about, Ash?" She asked. "I've never heard you say things like that before."

"I, honestly, don't know," He pretended to be oblivious about his actions. "I didn't mean for him to get him angry. I was just saying what was on my mind."

May thought that seemed like a pretty decent reason for Ash say something so rash. "So what did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"Drew said that it was my fault that you lost, right?" Ash asked.

"So you heard that?" May sighed. She looked away from Ash before she continued. "He said that I battle more like a trainer than I do as a coordinator, and says it is your fault that I do my performances in that way."

Ash grinned and sat next to May. He put Pikachu on his lap, so the mouse could rest in comfortable position.

"Well, I think he's right when he says that I influenced your coordinating style, but he's wrong about _how_ you perform more as," Ash told the sapphire-eyed girl. "I don't think you battle more like a trainer _or_ a coordinator."

May looked at the trainer with confusion.

"Ash, I don't understand," May said. "If I don't battle like a trainer or coordinator, then what do I battle like?"

"You incorporate both styles in your performances," Ash smiled at the confused expression on her face. "Listen May, your style is very unique. When it came to beauty and style, your performance was on point because of your inner coordinator. Then when it came to battling, your opponents had trouble beating you because of your inner trainer—your inner trainer allowed you to beat your rivals. Plus, while you were doing the battle rounds, you were still able to show off your Pokémon to prevent you from losing points. That's your contest style, May. It's not _different_ —it's _unique._ "

May had a surprised look on her face. She was surprised for two reasons. The first was she never saw herself as being a coordinator and a trainer mixed together. The second was she was surprised that this was coming from Ash—from Ash! She thought about it for a minute, and he was right in a way.

"I never thought of it like that…" May said as she stared into his brown eyes.

"I think Drew just hates to lose," Ash smiled. "There's no reason why you should be getting tips from someone you beat. If anything, it should be the other way around."

May stared at the trainer. He was right again.

"I heard what Drew said about the Johto Region," Ash told the Hoenn girl. "I think it's a great opportunity to catch up with your rivals. But, don't let him influence your decisions. You are your own person, and you are allowed to make your own choices based on your own feelings."

May was speechless. She knew he was right about making choices for herself.

"Ash, you're right," May said as she stood up and made a fist pump. "I am free to make my own decisions. As for my way of performing contests, I think you have a good point. It gives me the edge of mixing both styles because I want to make my Pokémon to be stronger while still showing off their beauty."

Ash smiled at the brunette's action, she clearly wasn't sad about losing in the Grand Festival anymore. If anything, she looked more determined to compete in another one.

May then turned to the trainer. "Thank you!" She hugged him which forced Pikachu to jump off Ash's lap.

Ash return the embrace as he put his arms around the brunette.

They stood there for a while until Ash broke the hug. May turned her head quickly so Ash couldn't see and blushed.

 _"_ _Why did I hug him for so long?"_ May thought.

"We should probably go find Max and Brock," Ash said to May who was looking away from him. "They are kind of worried about you."

May turned her head as soon as her blush went away.

"You're right let's go!" May said as she walked passed the trainer.

Ash and Pikachu exchanged glances.

"I didn't know May got nervous after giving hugs," Ash said to Pikachu.

"Pika ka, Pikapi" Pikachu replied to his trainer.

"You're right, buddy," Ash said. "I guess I really didn't hug her when we were younger to find out. Anyways, I think we should start focusing on our mission now. Who knows how long it will take us to figure out who the bad guy is. It's too bad we had to alter the timeline a little…"

"Pika kapi pi," Pikachu said as he climbed on Ash's shoulder.

"That's true, buddy," Ash added. "It's always worth it if will help out a friend."

The time-travelers began to walk out of the room to catch up to May.

"You think Drew will take my advice about cutting his hair?"

"Pika..." Pikachu shook his head.

"Yeah, I thought so," Ash said disappointingly.

 **That will do it for me guys! Trust me guys, this story is going to make you guys get excited after every chapter! I have big plans for this story.**

 **So what do you guys think about the story? Do you guys think Ash just altered a big part of the timeline? You'll have to wait and see on the next chapter of** ** _Timeflies_** **.**

 **Don't forget to review guys!**

 **See you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter, and I appreciate all the reviews and comments I have been getting. I didn't think this story would be that popular. Anyways, I'd like to say thanks; the reviews motivate me to update this story as soon as I can. Also, the next chapter for** ** _Dreaming of You_** **will take a little longer to be posted because my laptop didn't save what I wrote, so I have to do it all over again. Well, enjoy.**

 _(At the Pokémon Centre)_

"I wonder what's taking Ash so long to come back," Brock stated.

Max sighed. "This is _Ash_ we're talking about, Brock," He said knowingly. "He couldn't remember thirty minutes ago that he left us to use the restroom," The young boy glanced at the entrance of healing center. "We'll wait ten more minutes before we start putting up 'I am lost' signs with Ash's face on them."

Brock and Max had reached the Pokémon Centre ten minutes after watching Ash leave to find May. Since arriving at the Centre, the two travelers sat at a table to wait for their other two companions to come back. However, both Max and Brock were getting restless of waiting.

Brock smiled a little. "He's not that bad, Max," The breeder defended. "Ash knows h-"

"Hey, guys!"

Max and Brock turned to see May run up to them. To their surprise, she was smiling very brightly.

"Hey, May!" Max said as he ran to give his sister a hug. He hugged her tightly for a brief moment before he released her. "Where were you? How are you doing? Are you feeling better now?" The little boy was bombarding May with questions.

"Slow down, Max," Brock interrupted the young boy. "I'm sure May is a little tired from everything that's happened today. Why don't we let her go up to the room to get some rest, yeah?"

"No, I'm okay," The brunette waved Brock off. She smiled brightly. "I was upset for a little while, but I'm over it already."

Max had a confused expression on his face. "Really?" He questioned. "I've never known you to just 'forget' about something so easily—especially if it's something this important…so tell me, how did you get over it so quickly?"

May saw the concerned looks on their faces and knew they weren't going to let her go until she explained the situation. "Okay," The Hoenn Princess looked down a little and smiled lovingly. "It was Ash…" She said softly. "I thought it was my performing style that caused me lose—that I couldn't win the Grand Festival…" Brock was about to speak, but May put her hand up before he could start. "I know that I shouldn't have been thinking like that; I know I was wrong." She put her right hand over her heart before she continued. "When Ash found me, he told me that I shouldn't be questioning my contest style because I was able to beat my rivals. I thought it was different from common coordinating styles, but Ash said it is _unique._ I have to admit that I was surprised to hear these words coming from Ash…but they were the most uplifting words that I have ever heard…"

When May finished, both Max and Brock had their mouths open in disbelief. Brock coughed and quickly regained his composure.

"I guess Ash was right when he said that he knew how to cheer you up," The breeder stated.

May smiled.

"Okay, well I guess we s—wait," Brock stopped.

"What?" May asked.

"Where _is_ Ash?"

"Oh, he is right be—hind me?" May turned around but couldn't find the trainer. She quickly scanned the Pokémon Centre to see if he was around, but he was not inside the healing center. "He was right behind me when we were walking here." May was starting to get concerned.

"Let's go check outside," Max suggested.

May and Brock nodded.

When the small group turned to start heading towards the exit of the Centre, the entrance opened and showed the person they were about to look for.

May gasped.

Ash was crawling on all fours trying to get into to the building while Pikachu was lying on his trainer's back sleeping.

The three travelers saw Ash lift up his head and smile as he entered the Pokémon Centre.

"Finally!" He yelled before he collapsed face-first on the floor inside the Centre.

"Ash!"

 _(With Ash & Pikachu a Few Moments Before)_

"Hey, Pikachu?" Ash panted heavily.

"Pika?"

"Is it just me, or is this the longest route we've ever walked?"

Pikachu shook his head.

"Okay," Ash said tiredly. "So it's not just me…"

As soon as Ash and Pikachu caught up with May, they had begun to make their way back to the Pokémon Centre. They were going to take the main road when Ash remembered a shortcut through the forest path that he and Pikachu found a few years later to get to the healing center. The raven-haired trainer told May about the faster route and agreed to take it.

Five minutes after walking down the small forest path, Ash had regretted saying anything about it. He was exhausted from walking; he had even asked Pikachu if the little mouse could walk on his own for a while. Ash was hoping it would take some weight off of his shoulders and give him a little more energy to continue walking. However, it didn't change anything, and now Pikachu was feeling tired as well.

Ash looked ahead and saw May pass the hill that would lead to the Pokémon Centre. "When May said _we_ should try and get there as soon as possible, I guess she really just meant herself."

Pikachu nodded slowly. The electric mouse was trying hard to continue walking.

When they both reached the summit of the hill, they stopped and glanced at it. It was only about ten feet high, but to Ash and Pikachu it looked like a mountain. Their legs trembled as the two looked at the small hill. The trainer sighed loudly. "All we have to do is reach the top and we'll be at the Pokémon Centre, buddy."

"Pi pika, Pikapi?" Pikachu asked.

"No, I'm not able to carry you!" Ash exclaimed. "If I'm going to try it, then you're going to try it."

"Kapi Pikachu pi…"

Ash smiled. "The 'I have little legs' excuse isn't going to get you out of this one, buddy."

Pikachu crossed his arms in frustration.

Ash breathed loudly. "Look, we're wasting time and energy arguing," The trainer took a deep breath and clenched his fists. "Come on, Pikachu, we've been in tougher situations than this! We can easily do this!"

Pikachu smiled confidently and clenched his tiny fists. "Pika!" He agreed eagerly.

"Then let's do this thing!"

It took the trainer and the Electric-type ten minutes to reach the top of the small hill. When they reached the top, both Ash and Pikachu collapsed on ground exhaustingly. They both were lying on their backs to get some type of rest.

"Well," Ash said trying to catch his breath. "That was more intense than I thought…"

Pikachu nodded slowly.

"Maybe we're not used to our younger bodies yet, Pikachu," Ash concluded. "Remind me to add 'exercise' to list of things we have to do when we go searching for the rest of our team."

Pikachu lifted his small paw in the air and made a "check" sign with it which told the trainer he would remember it later.

Ash chuckled. "Since when did you get so funny?"

"Pika pika kapi pi," The yellow mouse explained.

"True, we are younger again," Ash lifted his head and saw the Pokémon Centre about twenty feet away from them. "We're so close to the Pokémon Centre," He turned around and lifted his body with arms. "I don't think I can walk the rest of the way," Ash told Pikachu. "But I'm pretty sure I can crawl—my arms aren't as tired as my legs are."

Pikachu sighed. He really had no energy left to keep walking.

"It's okay, buddy," Ash reassured. "You won't have to walk anymore. You can climb on my back and relax the rest of the way. I know both your legs and arms are tired—it's the least I can do for making you walk up that hill."

The electric mouse thought about it for moment before finally agreeing with his best friend. Pikachu slowly got up and crawled onto Ash's back. Once he was safely on Ash's back, the yellow rodent fell asleep from exhaustion.

Ash smiled at his friend. "You deserve a nap," He turned back and saw the healing center. "Almost there…"

As the raven-haired trainer crawled to the door, he was looking around to see if anybody would help him, but he didn't see anybody. _"Just my luck…"_ Ash thought. When he finally reached the entrance to the Pokémon Centre, the automatic doors opened. _"It's like they were expecting me…"_

 _(Present Time)_

Everybody had turned his or her head when they heard Ash yell, but only May, Brock, and Max ran up to their companion.

"Someone please help!" May yelled. She had reached Ash first and was now resting his head on her lap.

Brock went to check on Pikachu when the Electric-type fell off of Ash's back.

Max was hesitant on what to do for a moment, but he realized the best thing for him to do was to get Nurse Joy.

When Nurse Joy saw Brock and May attending to Ash and Pikachu, she gasped. "What happened?" She asked.

"I don't know," May said worryingly. "We just saw Ash literally _crawling_ into the Pokémon Centre, and then he just collapsed on the floor!"

Nurse Joy moved May out of the way so that she could properly check the boy unconscious. Joy quickly scanned Ash for any dramatic injures before doing a routine checkup. She didn't find any serious injuries, so she continued the normal checkup. When Joy finished, she smiled softly. "He's going to be just fine," She stated. "He's just really tired that's all."

May closed her eyes and sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness…I thought it was something serious."

"No, he's going to be okay," Nurse Joy reassured. "He just needs to get some rest. I would also guess that his Pikachu is feeling the same way," She said to Brock who was holding Pikachu in his arms. "Chansey?" Joy called and two big, pink Pokémon showed up.

"Chansey!" They said.

"Can you bring two stretchers and take this boy and his Pikachu to a room where they can rest?"

"Chans!" The Chansey nodded.

The two Egg Pokémon left for a couple minutes to bring what Nurse Joy had asked them to get. When they came back, they were each pushing a stretcher to the tired heroes. One Chansey put Ash on a stretcher, and the other Chansey took Pikachu from Brock and put the mouse on the second stretcher.

"Can we go with him to the room?" May asked hopefully.

"Honestly," The pink-haired said. "There is really no need for someone to be in the room with them as Chansey will be checking on them regularly."

May frowned. "Alright…" The brunette said disappointingly.

"If it makes you feel any better, they both should be fully rested and ready to leave by tomorrow morning."

Brock walked up behind May and put his hand on her shoulder. "I think Nurse Joy has a point, May," He told the brunette. "Let's just go get some dinner in the cafeteria and get some rest ourselves. Ash and Pikachu will be fine; they're going to be sleeping anyways."

The Hoenn Princess looked at the door where the Chansey took the trainer and his Pokémon. She then put her head down and sighed. "I guess you're right, Brock…I'll meet you guys there," She said as she started walking towards the cafeteria.

"It's nice to see friends care like that for each other," Nurse Joy commented.

"Yeah, they really are close," Brock stated. He then turned and smiled at the nurse. "You know, if you like how friends care for each other, then you'll love the way how I care for you!" The breeder exclaimed. "I could treat you like you the greatest frie—aggghh my ear!"

Max had started to drag the breeder away from the shocked nurse. "You know, just because I hadn't said anything earlier, doesn't mean I wasn't around," He explained. "I was standing right next to you for crying out loud!"

"I guess I didn't see you, aggghh!" Brock said feeling pain from his ear.

"Well, now you know," Max stated. "Now let's go to the cafeteria, _Loverboy._ "

"Aggghh, my ear!"

 _(In the Cafeteria)_

May was poking at her pudding depressingly.

 _"_ _If I had stayed behind with them, I could've helped them, and this would've never happened,"_ She thought. _"It's just another thing I could've done better today…"_

"Are you okay, May?" Max asked his sister.

May looked up and saw the concerned look on her brother's face. "Yeah, I'm fine, Max," She lied.

Max stared at curiously, but he didn't press on. "Okay, if you say so."

All three friends at their food quietly before heading up to their room. They all thought it would be pointless to go somewhere without Ash and Pikachu.

 _(In the Morning)_

May was ready to start her day at six o' clock in the morning. She dressed herself in the same red blouse and blue biker shorts under her small white skirt she always wore during her journey through the Kanto Region. She quickly grabbed her bag, put it around her waist, and left the room where Max and Brock were barely getting up. May wanted to see Ash before they continued their journey.

May asked Nurse Joy, who greeted her nicely, where Ash and Pikachu were staying at, so the brunette could talk to them. However, she was surprised by the pink-haired nurse's response.

"What do you mean he left?!" May exclaimed.

"Yeah, he said that he and Pikachu were going to take a walk," Joy stated nervously.

May grunted. She quickly left the nurse and started to run out of the Pokémon Centre. When she reached the exit, the doors opened, and May saw the person she was looking for. He was standing with his Pikachu on his shoulder looking at the forest away from the Centre. She approached him slowly so that he wouldn't be startled. He was talking to Pikachu.

"Pika pika kapi pi, Pikapi."

"I know, buddy," May heard Ash say. "She's counting on us…we can't fail—especially since it's so important to her."

May's heart fluttered. Was he talking about her loss? Did he see it as "he failed her"?

 _"_ _He really cares about me and my success in contests…"_ She thought. _"Do I really mean that much to him?"_

"Kapi pi pika?" Pikachu asked.

"Oh, yeah," Ash stated sarcastically. "We will be rewarded with a lot of ketchup if we succeed."

Pikachu's eyes gleamed with happiness.

May giggled. Her giggling caused the trainer and the yellow mouse to quickly turn around.

"May?" Ash stated nervously to the giggling brunette. "H-how much of that did you hear?"

She stopped her laughing to answer. "Just the part about getting 'a lot of ketchup' as a reward." May lied.

Ash sighed in relief. "Oh, okay…"

Silence fell between the two teens for a moment. May decided to speak up.

"Ash, I want to say sorry," She said apologetically.

The trainer smiled. He knew what she was apologizing for but decided to let her explain. "What are you saying 'sorry' for?"

"I-I could've helped you if I was there with you guys…I could've had Combusken carry you while I carried Pikachu, or I could've helped you on m-"

"May," Ash interrupted her rambling by calmly gripping her shoulders. He could see her eyes were starting to get watery. "Everything is okay," The trainer reassured her. "Nothing happened to me or Pikachu. If anything, it's our fault that I forgot my Pokémon."

"Pika pi, Pikapi!" Pikachu stated.

"Alright, I'm sorry," Ash apologized to the yellow mouse. "It was _my_ fault that I didn't have my Pokémon with me."

May giggled a little.

Ash wiped away a tear that was falling down her face. "See, so there's no reason to blame yourself—or cry for that matter," He said. "In truth, you look more beautiful when you're smiling than when you're crying."

May's eyes widened and a blush appeared on her face. "W-what?"

Ash mentally face-palmed. _"Shit,"_ He thought. _"I have to remember I'm a dense teenager again."_ Ash was trying to think of something to use as a cover up but couldn't think of anything. He looked at Pikachu who was trying hard not to laugh at his trainer. "I-I mean that uh—that you umm."

"Hey, guys!"

Ash and May looked to see Max and Brock running up to them.

 _"_ _Oh, thank Arceus!"_ Ash thought in relief.

"Are you feeling better, Ash?" Max asked.

"Yeah, I'm feeling much better, guys," He answered. Ash quickly glanced at May and saw that she was looking away from them with a blush still on her face. _"Aw, crap… way not ruin the timeline, Ash…way to go."_

Max decided to speak up. "So where are we headed to next, Brock?"

"Well," The breeder spoke up. "To get to the port, we need to pass a place called Terracotta Town."

"Oh, I heard that it's a really fun town!" May exclaimed finally breaking out of her trance. "Shall we head out, then?"

"Yeah!" Max and Brock stated. The two then started walking and discussing what would be the fastest route to the town.

 _"_ _Ash, you have the worst luck ever,"_ Ash thought to himself. _"You accidentally called May 'beautiful' just before you're about to recreate the greatest memory between you and her…yes, Ash, you are an idiot."_

"Ash?"

"Yeah, May?" She interrupted his thoughts.

"I'm going to walk next to you until we get to Terracotta Town," The brunette stated. "I still don't believe you are fully okay…"

Ash saw in her eyes that she wasn't going to let this go. "Alright, May, if it makes you feel comfortable, then you can walk next to me."

May smiled brightly and quickly hugged him.

The hug was lasting longer than Ash expected, so he coughed a little to get her attention.

May blushed a little as she let him go. "Sorry, I just didn't think you would accept my offer so quickly," She admitted. "Anyways, we are going to have so much fun in Terracotta Town—I can feel it!" They both started walking to where Max and Brock were talking.

 _"_ _I think I have some idea…"_ Ash thought.

 **Well, that is chapter 3. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it. I tried to make it longer and more detailed like some you asked, so I hoped I did you all proud. I will explain in the next chapter why May told a different story to Max and Brock when they asked about what happened so that will be explained next time. Anyways, like I said, I hope you all liked it!**

 **Remember to Read & Review! Trust me when I say that it encourages to update sooner.**


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Pokémon nor any of the characters.

 **Hey guys, and welcome back to** ** _Timeflies_** **. I want to thank you guys so much for the reviews!**

 **Krisply aka fan: Thank you for the criticism. I do have to admit that I started doing my own editing when I began writing this story; I just felt I could get more done this way. As a result, I cannot guarantee that there will not be errors, but I will do my best to make it perfect. As for May being too girlish, I will try to avoid that because that was not her personality in the anime. However, in the last chapter, she just formed a few tears in her eyes because she felt like it was her fault that Ash fainted. If you ever watched the anime, she actually did cry for Max when they were separated on an island, and she was having trouble deciding on whether to leave him to go to the Kanto Grand Festival or not. It felt like both situations were pretty similar, so I gave May pretty much the same reaction like she had the first time—though this time it was just few tears. But I understand what you are trying to state and will try to stay away from that. I will also triple check everything now before I update. Once again, thanks.**

 **Ghost iv: Ash fainted because he is not used to his younger body yet; this is also true for Pikachu. However, Pikachu (and only Pikachu) is still as strong as he was in the future. The only difference is that Pikachu can only give out so many bursts of energy before getting tired quickly because his younger body is not used to it. I hope that gives you some clarity on the subject.**

 **Guys, if you are ever confused about a part in the story, please feel free to PM me; I will respond as soon as I can. Don't be scared to ask me if you are confused about something in the story.**

 **Anyways, I'll shut up now and let you guys read.**

 **Don't forget to read and review!**

 **Chapter 4**

The group had begun walking through the forest to get to Terracotta Town. They had been walking for about an hour, though, before May actually left Ash's side. It took Ash a while to convince May that he would okay without her next to him. She was reluctant at first, but she finally agreed to leave his side. It was mostly, however, because May wanted to find out how much further it would be before they reached the town. She ran to Max and Brock who were ahead of her which left Ash alone with Pikachu lagging behind.

"Hey, Pikachu," Ash said.

"Pikachu pika pika," Pikachu replied.

"So you remember too, huh," Ash said as he stared at his friends walking in front of him. "We all go our separate ways after the contest."

"Pika pika chu."

"You're right, buddy," Ash replied. "It will be easier to do what's on our list after the contest is over…it will also give me the chance to get used to this body," He quickly glanced down to look at his, now, smaller figure. He started to think about the rigorous training he and his Pokémon would be doing after traveling through the rest of the regions. "These next few months are going to be rough…"

"Pika kapi pi, Pikapi?"

"I would hope not," Ash said worryingly. "I know Celebi told us there was a significant event where she placed us in the timeline, but I don't think it happened back in the Indigo Plateau…or at least I hope it didn't occur back there."

After a few more minutes of walking, Ash heard a faint, sharp sound that was getting closer and louder. He instantly knew what it was and quickly reacted to it. Ash moved his head to the right, and Pikachu jumped off his shoulder to dodge the metal arm. While in the air, Pikachu turned and fired an Electro Ball to destroy it.

 _"_ _Predictable…"_ Ash thought. _"At least my senses are still somewhat sharp like they were in the future."_

Ash's friends had turned around as soon as they heard the metal arm charge for Pikachu. They gasped when they saw Pikachu quickly avoid the arm and fired a move they had never seen before. Ash saw their reactions and look towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu, I don't think we should use any move that you're not supposed to know yet," Ash whispered to Pikachu whom was on the ground staring at the air balloon.

Pikachu shrugged.

"Team Rocket!" Max, May, and Brock yelled.

Jessie smiled. "The one and only!" She then looked at Ash and Pikachu frustratingly. "How did you know we were following you, twerp? And what was that last move?"

Ash and Pikachu mentally cringed. Team Rocket became smarter and stronger in the future, so Ash trained his Pokémon to sense their presence just in case the trio tried a surprise attack. Team Rocket did not bother Ash as often in the future, but they were still a serious threat to the Pokémon Master and his Pokémon.

"Umm..." Ash said trying to think of a reasonable explanation. _"I got it,"_ He thought. "Pikachu, what was that?" He said hoping it would convince the others he was just as surprised as they were.

"That was awesome!" Max yelled to Ash and Pikachu.

"How about we get rid of them before we start celebrating, okay, Max?" Ash said to the young man who nodded eagerly.

Ash then turned around to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, if I remember correctly, they always have a spare arm to grab you," Ash whispered to the yellow rodent. "If they send out another one, let them take you," Pikachu looked at him confusingly. "I have a plan, buddy."

Pikachu nodded slowly.

As if on cue, Meowth jumped on the ledge of the air balloon basket. "Dis ain't over, twerp. We still have one more," Meowth said as he pressed a button that released another mechanical arm under the green basket.

The arm went towards Pikachu who just stood still on the ground where he was.

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed trying to fake the whole situation.

"We are finally going to get the twerp's Pikachu!" James stated.

Ash then turned to his friends who seemed worried about Pikachu. "May, I need your help," He said to the brunette girl. "Combusken can help us beat Team Rocket."

The brunette girl nodded and threw her Poké ball in the air. Brock decided take Max to a safer location as they were extremely close in firing range.

"Combusken!" the young Fowl Pokémon said as she flipped and took a fighting stance.

"If it's a battle you want," James said as he picked up a Poké ball from his belt and tossed it. "Then it's a battle you'll get."

"Let's double team that fire-chicken," Jessie said as she tossed her Poké ball in the air.

"Seviper!"

"Cacnea!"

"You can do this, Combusken!" May yelled to her Pokémon. "Use Fire Spin!"

"Quick, Seviper, use Poison Tail to slap that Fire Spin away!" Jessie ordered.

"Use Pin Missile," James quickly added to help his comrade.

Combusken sent out a fire tornado from its mouth towards the Team Rocket Pokémon. Just as the attack was close, Serviper's glowing purple tail slammed into the Fire Spin causing it to move to another direction. Before May could make another command, she saw Combusken get hit by the Pin Missile attack. She gasped as she saw her Pokémon take a direct hit. The brunette was relieved, though, when Combusken recovered quickly.

"Use Leaf Blade!" The attacked slashed Cacnea and Serviper directly causing both Pokémon to yell out in pain.

May and Team Rocket turned to see Ash standing off to the side holding a Poké ball in his hand. Secptile then landed in front of him. The Forest Pokémon put a small twig into his mouth and crossed his arms.

May smiled. She knew they were about to win. "Use Flamethrower on Cacnea!" She said as she turned back to look at Team Rocket.

"Ken!" Combusken said as she sent out a massive flame from its mouth.

"Cacnea, dodge and use Needle Arm!" James countered.

"Seviper, use Poison Fang!" Jessie extended her arm point at their opponent.

"Use Bullet Seed to stop Seviper," Ash commanded.

May's eyes widened when she saw the cactus swiftly dodge the Flamethrower with ease. Combusken then took a direct in the stomach by Canea's glowing white arm. She gasped as she saw Seviper's Poison Tail approaching Combusken rapidly. Just as Seviper spun its tail to slash the Fire-type, Seviper was hit with glowing gold pellets in the face. This caused the Poison Tail to cancel out and the snake to crash fiercely on the ground.

May sighed in relieve. She then looked at her Pokémon who was struggling to stand up. "Combusken, are you okay?"

"Combus…" She was slowly getting up from the ground.

"Guys, I tink we should make our escape," Meowth said as he held onto Pikachu with the metal arm.

Pikachu had figured out what Ash's plan was and decided to go with it. However, he did not like being captured by Team Rocket—even if he was only pretending, it made him feel weak. Pikachu sighed in the metallic grip. He really hated this trio.

"You're right. Let's get away from here," James said.

Jessie nodded. "Alright, Seviper, use Smokescreen!"

The smoke surrounded the group while the evil gang tried to make their escape. Ash quickly told Sceptile to use Pound on the ground to cause a strong gust of wind to blow away the Smokescreen away. It was a trick he learned when he did not want to use a Flying-type to get rid of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the heroes could see Team Rocket flying away in their air balloon.

"No!" May exclaimed. _"I can't let them get away,"_ May thought. _"Ash asked for my help, and I can't let him down…not again."_

She looked at her Pokémon as it finally stood up.

"Combusken, please help!" May yelled pleadingly.

"Combusken!" the Young Foul Pokémon exclaimed as she started to glow white.

Ash smiled. _"Well, that took little longer than I expected,"_ He looked up to see how Pikachu was doing. Ash could see that Pikachu was giving him a pleading look asking if he could destroy the arm. _"Just a little longer, buddy. I promise."_

"Blaziken!" the Blaze Pokémon exclaimed as she flexed her new form. Her legs, arms, and face were a dark shade of red while the rest of her fur was white. Her hands were talons that were surrounded by a small burst of fire in the wrist area.

"Wow…" They heard Max say.

May just stared in awe at her newly evolved Pokémon. She couldn't believe that her little Torchic had grown to become so powerful.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the new Pokémon.

 _"_ _In battle, Blaziken blows out intense flames from its wrist and attacks foes courageously. The stronger the foe, the more intensely this Pokémon's wrists burn,"_ The Pokédex explained.

May snapped out of her shock and gave a serious look. "Blaziken, let's get back Pikachu," The Pokémon smiled. "Alright, use Sky Uppercut!"

"Blaze!" Blaziken jumped up and rushed towards the metal arm with great speed. Her fist glowed white as the uppercut connected with the metal, causing it to break and Pikachu to start falling from the balloon.

"Ahhh!" Meowth said. "Quick, attack tat overgrown chicken!"

Jessie and James nodded.

"Seviper, use Poison Tail!"

"Cacnea, use Needle Arm!"

The Team Rocket Pokémon charged at the falling yellow mouse who was only smirking.

"Blaziken use-"

"Don't worry, May," Ash interrupted her. "They can't harm him," He saw the Pokémon were getting closer to his Pikachu. "Intercept them!"

"Pika!" He said as it turned towards the incoming Pokémon. Seviper whipped its tail towards Pikachu fiercely while Cacnea threw its Needle Arm attack. Pikachu used an Iron Tail to smack the Poison Tail away and used the momentum to hit Seviper's head with another Iron Tail into Cacnea. Team Rocket's Pokémon were then sent flying back to the Meowth air balloon.

Ash knew this was the opportunity to get rid of Team Rocket. "May, let's finish this," Ash stated. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

May nodded. "Blaziken, use Overheat!" She exclaimed.

Pikachu fired a massive Thunderbolt towards Team Rocket while Blaziken fired a massive flame towards them. The two moves combined as the electricity surrounded the flame and attacked the Team Rocket group. This caused an explosion that made the Rocket grunts fly off.

"We're blasting off again!" Team Rocket said.

Ash thanked his Sceptile and recalled him back into its Poké ball. He sighed and walked up to May. "Well, I'm glad that's over." Ash said as Pikachu jumped on his shoulder like nothing really happened. "Thanks, May. I knew you and Blaziken could do it."

May smiled brightly. She was about to say something, but Max and Brock reached them.

"Ash, what was that move Pikachu used to destroy the first metal arm?!" Max asked as he was excited to hear the new move.

"Yeah, Ash," May added. "I've never seen Pikachu use a move like that before."

"Um… I don't know. I guess Pikachu must have been working on it on his own," Ash quickly took out his Pokédex to get an explanation. "It says it's called Electro Ball."

"Hmm…I have never heard of a move like that," Brock said as he rubbed his chin. "But just by looking at it, I can tell that it's very powerful move."

Ash nodded towards Brock. He then looked at May who smiling at him.

"So May, what do you think of Blaziken?" Ash asked the brunette.

"She's so awesome!" May said as she made a fist. "I feel like no one can beat me now."

The group nodded. They knew the brunette's confidence needed a boost after the Grand Festival. They knew that anything good that happened to May would help in some way.

 _(In Terracotta Town Two Hours Later)_

"Finally," May exclaimed. "It took us a long time to get here."

"Well, we would've got here sooner if it wasn't for Team Rocket," Max explained. "Not to mention we passed by a lot of pretty girls that Brock just had to tell flirt with."

"So you thought they were pretty too, huh?!" The breeder said. "I knew my mind wasn't playing tricks on me!"

"That's not the point, Brock!" Max argued. "We arrived here two hours later than what we originally thought we were going to take," The young boy sighed. "What do you think about this, Ash?"

Ash shrugged. "It doesn't really matter to me," He said. "I mean as long as we arrived here safely is what's really important. Besides, you both make pretty good points that I don't know who's right and who's wrong."

"Yeah, Ash is right," May added. "I think as long as we got here safely is all tha—wait, did you say that they 'both' had good points?" She eyed the raven-haired trainer suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well…yeah" Ash responded. "I think we would've got here faster if Team Rocket hadn't shown up, or if Brock hadn't flirted with the girls we passed by earlier…but in Brock's defense, some of them were pretty cute."

"Thank you, Ash!" Brock exclaimed. "I rest my case, Max…"

Max glared angrily at the breeder.

May was flustered. "Y-you thought some of those girls were—cute?"

"Um…yeah?" Ash was unsure of his own response.

"Oh, okay…" May stated lowly.

There was a moment of silence before Brock spoke up.

"Well, I think we should just forget about this whole thing and continue going through the town. We're already here, anyways," He then turned and smiled at Ash. "You just keep surprising me today, Ash. First, a new move from Pikachu that you didn't teach him, and then you say girls are cute. Our future adventures are going to be so much fun! You can be my wingman now!"

Ash laughed nervously while he rubbed the back of his head. "Hehehe…yeah, I guess so," He said. Ash turned and saw May was in deep thought. "Why don't we find something to do in this town before we take off to the port?" He was hoping it would change the subject. "I know there's going to be a Pokémon Contest tomorrow if you guys want to see it; why don't we stay the night and check it out in the morning?"

"Wait, there is going to be one here?" May asked with glimmering eyes. She had broken out of her trance quickly after hearing there was going to be a contest.

"Ash, how did you find out about the contest?" Brock asked.

"I heard a couple of people talk about it when we were walking through the forest. I figured it could be a fun thing to check out."

"Alright," May stated loudly. The rest of the group turned and looked at her. "I'm going to enter and win it!"

"That's the spirit, May," Max said.

"It would be a great way to end our adventure," Brock commented.

The two Hoenn natives looked sadly at the gym leader. It was true that their adventure was coming to an end. Just then May got an idea in her head.

"Ash, why don't you compete in the contest with me?" She suggested.

Ash pretended to think about it for a moment before answering. "Alright, May," He said smiling. "This could be the last time we see each other for a while, so why not? But I won't go easy on you."

May smiled brightly. _"This is it,"_ The Hoenn Princess thought. _"This is how I finish my journey through Kanto: with a contest."_ She looked at Max and Brock who were looking at the Pokégear trying to find the Pokémon Centre in the small town. _"It was a fun journey, and I will never forget all the adventures I had…"_ She then turned to Ash who seemed to be arguing with Pikachu. She laughed softly when Pikachu lightly slapped Ash on the cheek. She smiled briefly at the trainer before frowning slightly. _"But do I really want it to end?"_

"I guess we should start heading to the Pokémon Centre, so you guys can register for the contest," Brock said to his young companions.

When they arrived at the Pokémon Centre, they checked into a room. They looked at the clock and saw it was seven o' clock in the evening. The group quickly walked to the contest hall, so Ash and May could register for the contest tomorrow. After Ash and May registered for the contest, they all decided to go back to their rooms to get some rest. Everyone, but May, quickly fell asleep after doing their nightly routines. She was staring at the ceiling while lying on her bed. She was on the top bunkbed while Max was on the bottom bed. Ash and Brock were on the bunkbed across from hers; Ash was on the top bed, and Brock was on the bottom bed.

 _"_ _I will give it my all tomorrow in the contest,"_ May thought to herself. _"And I can't take it lightly even if it's not an official one. It won't be easy with Ash entering as well."_ She sighed and turned towards the messy raven-haired trainer. She looked at him and smiled as she saw Pikachu curled up in a ball next him. " _Ash is really cute with his hair messed up,"_ She blushed at the thought she just had. The Hoenn Princess took a deep breath in before continuing. _"I think I should just go to sleep before I start thinking of things I shouldn't be,"_ May closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. She wanted to remain focused on appeals and battle rounds, not confusing feelings about a close friend.

 _(The Next Day at the Contest)_

"We are proud to present the Terracotta Town Contest!" Lillian exclaimed. "I'm proud to present our three judges today." She pointed behind her where there were three podiums with one person behind each one. "First, we have Mr. Sukizo!"

"Remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo said.

"Then, we have Mr. Contesta!"

"It's great to be here," Raoul Contesta said.

"And finally, we have our very own Nurse Joy from Terracotta Town!"

"I hope everyone has a good time," Nurse Joy said.

The crowd went wild as they were excited to see the people appearing in the contest. Brock and Max sat in audience. Their seats were surprisingly close to the stage.

"Our first contestant is Ash from Pallet Town!" Lillian announced.

Ash came out with Pikachu on his shoulder. He smiled because he knew it was going to be a better appeal than the last time he entered. Ash promised himself that he would have a specular appeal round every time he did a contest.

"Pikachu, jump and use Electro Ball!" Ash said.

"Pika," Pikachu said as he jumped and fired the ball of electricity in the air.

"Use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu slammed his tail on the Electro Ball which caused little yellow sparks to surround the stadium.

"Wow!" Lillian said. "Not only was it really beautiful, but I have never seen a move like that before! This Pikachu must be one of a kind!"

The crowd was so amazed they cheered very loudly.

"Pikachu, let's finish this," Ash smirked. "Spin and use Iron Tail one more time!"

While still in the air, Pikachu used Iron Tail and started spinning. This caused the yellow sparks in the air from the previous move to gravitate towards Pikachu's metallic tail, surrounding it completely in the process. It took ten seconds for all the yellow sparks to cover the little mouse's tail. Pikachu then land softly on the ground.

"Now use Thunderbolt to finish it," Ash commanded.

"Pikachuuuu!" Pikachu said as he let out the massive jolt of electricity. This caused the sparks on his tail to scatter in the air once again. The Thunderbolt formed into the shape of a large circle, and Pikachu smiled as he jumped in the air to be in the center of it. In the end, it looked like Pikachu was in the center of a yellow Moon while yellow stars surrounded him.

"Incredible!" Lillian stated. "I have never seen anything so flawless before! Let's go to our judges now!"

"Remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo said.

"I am still impressed with Pikachu's new move!" Raoul said.

"I can tell this Pikachu and its trainer have been through a lot and that is what makes them special," Nurse joy said.

"Let's see the score!" Lillian said.

Everyone looked at the board. They saw a perfect 30.0 on the monitor. The crowd went wild again as they saw Ash and Pikachu walk back to the locker rooms.

"That was a little too easy, don't you think?" Ash whispered to Pikachu who nodded in agreement. They turned and saw May run up to them.

"That was so cool, Ash!" She exclaimed. "It's like that wasn't even your first contest!"

"I guess it was just beginner's luck," Ash lied while he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He was grateful that May and Dawn in the future helped him figure out a routine whenever he tried a Pokémon Contest.

"It's my turn now," May said lowly. "I'm kind of nervous…"

Ash put a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"You'll be great, May," Ash said causing the brunette to blush lightly. "Just go out there and show them what May Maple can do."

 _"_ _He really is something else,"_ May thought. "Okay, Ash!"

The brunette ran towards the contest stage.

The auburn-eyed teen looked at the T.V. and smiled. He saw May do the exact same performance she did the last time he was there.

"This is going to be fun, Pikachu."

"Pikaa"

"I know, buddy" Ash replied. "I'm just trying to enjoy this before we start doing the serious stuff, you know?"

Pikachu nodded.

The trainer smiled and looked back at the T.V. He saw May get a perfect 30.0 as well.

 _(Two Hours Later)_

"We are here with our two finalists in the last round of the competition," Lillian announced. "On the red corer we have May Maple! And in the green corner we have Ash Ketchum!"

"You ready, May?" Ash asked with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"I'm ready!"

"Please, send out your Pokémon!" Lillian announced.

"Go, Sceptile!" Ash said.

The fully evolved starter appeared. Sceptile reached behind its back and grabbed a twig to put in his mouth.

"Go, Blaziken!" May said

"Blaziken!" the Blaze Pokémon said.

The two Pokémon looked at each other. They knew this was going to be a great match.

"Ladies first," Ash said calmly.

 _"_ _I have never heard Ash say that before_ ," May thought. "Blaziken, use Blaze Kick!"

The Hoenn starter charged at her opponent with her leg engulfed in fire.

"Sceptile, jump and use Leaf Blade."

"Tile!" Sceptile said as he jumped with his arm glowing green. He slashed at his opponent which caused Blaziken to fall from the impact.

"Get up and use Sky Uppercut." May quickly said.

"Blaze!" Blaziken said as she jumped and uppercut the Forest Pokémon. Sceptile was sent soaring in the air.

"Don't give up," Ash stated. "Use Bullet Seed."

Sceptlile used his legs to push himself off the roof and fired little energy balls at the Fire-Pokémon.

"Ken!" Blaziken cried out. It shouldn't have hurt that much, but the momentum of Sceptile's move caused the Bullet Seed to issue more damage.

"Wow, Ash is pretty good," May thought out loud. "But we're better; Blaziken, use Flamethrower!"

Blaziken landed the powerful Flamethrower directly into Sceptile.

"Tile!" He cried in agony.

"Sceptile, quickly grab Blaziken!" Ash said.

The Grass-type quickly shook of the pain and went after his opponent. Sceptile knew what Ash's plan was and did not need him to explain it.

"No, you don't," May said. "Use Blaze Kick."

"Perfect," Ash smiled. "Dodge and grab its leg." Sceptile dodged the Blaze Kick and quickly grabbed Blaziken's other leg. He then tossed his opponent in the air and jumped. Sceptile then whipped his tail and landed a direct Pound attack on Blaziken.

"Ken!" Blaziken cried out.

"Quick use Flamethrower while you're falling on Sceptile!"

"Blaziken!" Blaziken said as it fired massive flame towards the Forrest Pokémon.

"Tile!" Sceptile cried in pain.

Both Pokémon ended up crashing into the ground crashed very hard. They both roared as they struggled to get to their feet.

"Blaze/Tile!" Blaziken and Sceptile roared as one glowed green and the other red.

"It seems both Pokémon's abilities have kicked in," Lillian said. "One final move from each contestant will decide the outcome."

 _"_ _This is it…"_ May thought. "Blaziken, use Overheat!"

"Fire a SolarBeam!" Ash ordered.

Both Pokémon took their time to charge their moves properly. Blaziken was trying to fire the Overheat first, but the Fire-type was still trying to recover from the previous attack it took. Both Pokémon then fired their ultimate attacks at each other. Each move dodged each other from colliding with one another, causing them to continue on to their respective targets. The attacks landed directly with Sceptile and Blaziken.

"Sceptile!" Ash yelled.

"Blaziken" May said worringly.

Ding! Was all everyone heard. Everyone looked at the monitor to see what the final result was. To their surprise, they saw that both Ash and May's points were completely identical.

"We have a tie!" Lillian announced. "I can't believe it, but it's a tie!"

This caused the crowed to cheer loud. They had just witnessed an amazing battle which resulted in a draw.

Ash sighed in relief. _"I really lucked out this time. I honestly didn't think I would tie with her again,"_ He walked up to May who was tending to Blaziken. "Good job, May," Ash said extending his arm.

"You too, Ash," May said. She grabbed Ash's hand and shook it. She then pulled him into a tight hug which surprised the trainer.

 _"_ _This didn't happen last time, right?"_ Ash thought as he returned the hug.

The crowd started to chant Ash and May over and over again.

May was blushing that crowd was cheering their names while Ash was hoping Norman was not watching this on television.

"Excuse me, but we only have one ribbon." Raoul Contesta said.

"Not to worry," Ash said as he took the ribbon. "Sceptile, use Leaf Blade to cut it in half," He threw the ribbon in the air, and Sceptile slashed it with his blade. Ash caught both pieces and handed one to May.

"May, wherever you go," Ash said with a smile. "Just know that I'll always be cheering for you. I always remember my friends."

May smiled and took her ribbon. She then pulled Ash into another hug.

 _"_ _I think I know what's wrong me,"_ May said as she buried her lightly shaded red cheeks into the trainer's chest.

 **I hope this exceeded your expectations! Anyways, yes, this is a long chapter. You guys wanted a longer chapter so here you go. This story is getting popular every time I look at my profile and it's thanks to you guys. I will be working on the next chapter for** ** _Dreaming of You_** **, but don't worry because I will also work on this story as well. Thank you, once again. You don't know it, but you all are reason I keep writing. Thanks.**

 **Don't forget to Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Pokémon.**

 **I have to say I'm sorry for the long wait. I have been very sick these past few weeks and it sucks. Not to mention that I had jury duty this past week—not fun at all. But I am feeling somewhat better and will try to update as quickly as I can before I start school. I also want to say thank you! This story is becoming better and better because of you guys! I am encouraged to continue writing for all of you!**

 **Krislpy: I would give Pikachu text to make it easier to understand, but, honestly, nobody in the anime really understands what he's saying—even Ash is really just making assumptions as well. Besides, after I write a text from Pikachu, I make Ash's next lines seemingly restate what Pikachu said, so you know what the mouse says. So I'm sorry, but I won't be giving Pikachu text on the side. I just feel like it takes away from the experience if I do that. But good suggestion, though. I appreciate it!**

 **Anyways, enjoy the chapter.**

 **Chapter 5**

The group celebrated the tie between Ash and May by going out to eat a delicious meal at the Pokémon Centre. After the heroes enjoyed a satisfying dinner in the cafeteria, they went up to their room to get some well-deserved rest. The group knew they would be waking up early the next day to head towards the port. The room was fairly small; it had two bunk beds and a bathroom. It also had a door that led to a small balcony that gave them a great view of the city. They all agreed it was nice place to rest for the night.

May and Max quickly did their nightly routines, so they could go to bed. They each took turns using the restroom to complete his or her individual tasks. Max brushed his teeth before changing into his sleepwear and heading off to bed. May took a quick shower, brushed her hair, brushed her teeth, and changed into her sleepwear before she went to bed.

Ash then went into the restroom and changed into a white t-shirt and some blue shorts before heading to bed. When he walked out of the restroom, Ash saw Brock looking at himself through the mirror on the wall of the room. The breeder was smiling and muttering to himself while he was combing his hair with his hands. After he finished brushing, Brock reached into his bag and grabbed a small, blue bottle of cologne. He sprayed himself twice: once on each side of the neck.

Ash saw what Brock did and gave the breeder an awkward look. "What are you doing, Brock?"

Brock turned around and smiled. "I have to look and smell great for the girls in my dreams," He stated. "You never know if you'll meet a beautiful girl while sleeping, Ash."

Ash smiled and shook his head.

It was ten o'clock when the group turned off all the lights in the room. Everyone was asleep except for Ash and Pikachu.

"Do you want to go for a late-night walk, buddy?" Ash asked quietly.

"Pika," Pikachu said while nodding.

Ash put on his pants, shoes, and sweater before opening the door to leave. Pikachu followed closely behind his best friend. The duo walked for about five minutes before settling in a small park that was surrounded by trees; besides a few Pokémon, the park was empty. They sat down on a bench in front of a small pond that was in the middle of the park. The bright Moon reflected nicely off the clear, blue water; there were also a few Pidgey bathing in the small pond. Ash and Pikachu just relaxed and stared at the tiny birds cleaning themselves. A few minutes passed before Ash finally spoke up.

"I don't know if I can do this, buddy," He sighed as he looked at Pikachu. "It's pretty difficult to recreate events as I did them before. I really lucked out today when I tied with May in the contest…"

"Pikachu pi pika," Pikachu explained.

"I know you're right, buddy. I know _everything_ won't have the exact same outcome, but what if something I do differently causes a change that never happened before? Like I never meet someone who has a big impact in my life," Ash looked up to the sky and saw a shooting star move across the sky. "I just wish it didn't have to be this complicated, you know?"

Pikachu frowned slightly.

Ash suddenly stared confusingly at the night-sky. The shooting star was still flying across the air; he knew they usually didn't last long. His eyes widened when he saw the shooting star turn sharply and head straight towards them at an increasingly fast rate. Ash quickly jumped up from the bench and took a fighting stance. Pikachu copied his trainer's movements.

"We have company, Pikachu," Ash stated. Pikachu was releasing small statics from his red cheeks.

The approaching star was making its way towards the two heroes quickly. Ash gritted through his teeth. He did not know exactly what it was, but he could tell it was strong just by the speed it was displaying. Just as Ash was about to call for a Thunderbolt because it was getting really close, it suddenly stopped in the air twenty feet away from them. Ash and Pikachu stared at the ball of light cautiously. A few seconds passed before there was a bright flash that blinded the duo. When the flashed disappeared, Ash and Pikachu stopped shielding their eyes and recognized the small, green figure flying in the air.

"Celebi?" Ash called out.

Celebi smiled. "Yup, that's me!"

Ash sighed in relief. "I thought you were a threat."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you," She smiled and turned towards the mouse. "Hi, Pikachu! It's nice to see you again—even though technically it's only been like three or four days…"

"Pika!" Pikachu waved. The little mouse had relaxed when he saw that the ball of light was just Celebi.

Celebi then turned back and looked at Ash again. "So how is everything going?" She asked.

"Um…well, we-,"

"Wait, don't tell me. I know it's going great," Celebi interrupted. "So are you making any progress?"

Ash shrugged and tried to speak again. "I think we-,"

"Wait, I already know that you've already had a positive impact," The small, green legendary Pokémon smiled at the two.

Ash crossed his arms and smiled. "Why don't you tell us how we've been doing so far and then we'll give you our feedback, okay?"

"Okay, if you don't feel like talking first, then it sounds like a plan!" Celebi flew in a few circles before focusing again on Ash and Pikachu. "Well, to keep it short, just know that whatever you guys have done differently has had some impact on the disaster in the future…in some small way at least."

"Um…alright, what does that mean 'in some way'?" Ash asked questioningly. "Shouldn't any change be enough to have an impact?"

"It means that you guys have disrupted the events that had initiated it," Celebi explained. "And no, to your second question. There hasn't been enough change to have some affect, and there is still a great chance that it could happen…"

Ash rubbed his forehead in frustration. He then thought of something else. "Have we at least done enough to at least change my…my doom?" He said hopefully.

"No."

"So why did you say we were making progress then?" Ash was starting to get agitated.

Celebi smiled softly. "Trust me when I say you guys will find out soon enough…"

Ash looked at the green Pokémon puzzlingly. He quickly glanced at Pikachu who just shrugged at him. Ash sighed and looked back at Celebi. "Alright…" He said slowly before he continued. "So we just continue with our plan until something changes?"

"Yeah," Celebi stated. "And it's okay if you guys don't recreate events as they happened before. I heard what you were saying and thought I would clear that problem for you," She paused before she continued. "The whole point of coming to the past was to change events to better the future. You guys can't do that if you are always worried about doing something differently," She took in a deep breath before she continued. "Besides, I told you both before I sent you here that your lives would change indefinitely; don't be afraid of causing change…anyways, when the time comes, I will return and take you guys back to the future."

"I guess you're right about the part about making changes…" Ash then looked at Celebi suspiciously. "It sounds like you're not going to come see us anymore. Will this be the last time you come see us in the past?"

Celebi nodded. "I have other places to visit that need my attention as well…besides, I don't have to worry about you two; I have complete faith that you will both solve this problem with ease."

"I understand," Ash turned and looked at Pikachu. "So what do you think, buddy? Are you ready to continue this and head to Sinnoh?" The little mouse was turning his head left and right looking around restlessly for something. "What is it, Pikachu?"

"Pika Pikachu pi pika," Pikachu said while still scanning the area.

"Someone is close by?"

Pikachu nodded.

Ash looked around for a possible threat but did not see anything. All of a sudden, a small, brown Pokémon ran to his leg and started to cuddle against it. Ash recognized the small Pokémon and smiled. He bent down and picked up the small Pokémon in his arms. "Hey, Eevee! What are you doing out here all alone?"

"She's not; she's out here with me," A soft voice said.

Ash turned around and saw the brunette standing in front of him. She was still wearing her yellow pajamas she wore to bed which told Ash that she just put on her shoes and left the room. "What are you doing here, May?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," May said. "I noticed you weren't in the room and came to look for you. I sent out Eevee because I knew she would be able to find either you or Pikachu."

"Oh, uh," Ash muttered. He was trying to think of something to say when his eyes suddenly widened. He remembered that he and Pikachu were just talking to Celebi. Ash quickly glanced behind his shoulder to see if the Time-travel Pokémon was still there. He relaxed when he saw nothing there. He then finally responded to May. "Uh…Pikachu and I couldn't sleep, so we came out for a walk. But we're starting to get pretty tired, so we're going to head back now. We'll walk with you back to the room if that's alright with you."

"Yeah, let's head back," May said as she shivered a little. "It's starting to get cold out here. The wind is starting to pick up."

Ash put Eevee on the ground and walked up to May. "Here," He pulled off his sweater and gave it to her. "Put this on. It should keep you warm until we get back to the room."

"No, Ash," May replied as she shook her head. "You need to put your sweater back on or you'll get sick."

She shivered again as another small breezed occurred. Ash smiled. "I'll be alright," He replied. "I've been in colder weather than what it is right now. I actually think the breeze is nice, too."

"Ash just list-,"

"What would Norman and Caroline think if you were to show up at your house sick?" Ash responded. He knew May's parents did not like it when their kids were sick. Ash remembered the similar event in the future. He, May, and Max were traveling to Fortree City because Max wanted to face Winona for a badge. They had stopped by a lake to eat lunch before making it to the city. They were setting up when a wild Milotic appeared from the lake. May was mesmerized by the beautiful Pokémon and decided that she wanted to catch it. The Milotic saw May turn to grab a Poké ball and quickly took advantage by firing a Water Pulse towards the brunette; it dove in the water and left after shooting the attack. Ash quickly commanded Pikachu to use Iron Tail to destroy it before it could reach May. When Pikachu destroyed it, however, the attack still sprayed water and completely wet May. Ash offered to give his sweater to her, but she refused to take it because she was angry about losing the Milotic. When they finally reached the Pokémon Centre, May had a stuffy nose and was constantly sneezing. Norman and Caroline scolded her when they talked to her that night over the phone. _"If only she took my sweater that day,"_ Ash thought. _"And for some reason she was mad at me. I was only trying to help…I guess it also didn't help that Norman sided with me."_

May knew her parents would be furious if she arrived home sick, so she finally took the sweater. She put it on and instantly felt warm. _"No wonder he's always wearing his sweater,"_ She thought. _"It's really comfortable."_

"Let's start heading back to room," Ash said.

Eevee and Pikachu were walking ahead their two trainers as if scouting and guarding them from any potential threats. Ash and May followed them closely behind. They finally exited the park when May spoke up.

"So why couldn't you sleep?" She asked worryingly.

"I just couldn't," Ash replied. "I guess I was just thinking about all the stuff I have to do after I get back home…"

"Like what?"

"Nothing too important," Ash shook off.

"Oh, okay…" May then stared at the ground. She knew she found an opening. "Does it have to do with this 'Sinnoh' place you were talking about?"

Ash stared at her surprisingly. "So you heard that back there?"

"Yeah,"

"What else did hear back there?" Ash asked somewhat nervously.

May eyed him curiously. She was quiet for a moment before she responded. "Just something about you understanding something, and the part about that place…"

Ash sighed in relief.

"So are you going to tell about this 'Sinnoh' or are you going to keep it a secret from me?" She said.

"You know I don't keep secrets from you, May" Ash stated knowingly.

"I—when did you tell me that you don't?"

 _"_ _Dammit, wrong May!"_ He thought loudly. "I mean I thought you knew that I didn't."

"I guess I kind of believed that you didn't…" She said lowly.

 _"_ _Good comeback, Ash…really smooth."_

"So?" May was getting impatient.

"Alright, if you want to know, then I'll tell you," Ash shrugged. "That is the next region Pikachu and I are going to travel to."

"I've never heard of the Sinnoh Region," May thought out loud.

"It's the most northern region," Ash added. "It's pretty cold, but it should be fun."

"Oh," May said. She then turned away from the trainer before she spoke up again. "D-do you know if it has…has Pokémon Contests to enter?" She stuttered and looked back at Ash quickly. "I-I just want to know…you know for my, um, own knowledge…"

Ash looked at her. "Yeah, it does hold contests."

May smiled a little. "Great! Thanks for telling me, Ash!"

"No problem, May," Ash stated. There was a silence before he spoke up again. "You know you didn't have to come look for us, right? We would have found our way back to the hotel safely."

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled back to them as he continued walking ahead.

Ash sighed. "I mean _Pikachu_ would've found our way back to the hotel safely. Does that make you happy, buddy?" Pikachu gave him a thumbs up as the mouse continued walking. "I don't understand why he always has to be right these days…"

May giggled at the little altercation. "I know, but I just wanted to make sure for myself, you know?" She turned away from again as she felt her face heat up. "I-I just had to come look…"

Ash put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a quick hug which caused the brunette to blush more. "I understand, May," He said. "But I promise you that I will always be all right, okay?"

She nodded slowly still trying to hide her blush.

"However," Ash added. "If _you_ ever need help, I will always be there to make sure you are all right."

"Really?"

"Of course. I'm always there for my friends!"

May smiled and gave him a hug.

It took them another two minutes to reach the hotel. May had recalled Eevee as they all headed up to their room. May's eyes were closing as the trio reached the door; she was really tired. When they entered the room, May said goodnight to Ash and Pikachu and got comfortable in her bed before quickly falling asleep. Ash gave her an amused smile before changing back into his sleepwear. He and Pikachu got comfortable on the bed. Pikachu curled up in a ball and fell asleep. Ash closed his eyes and thought to himself.

 _"_ _I never thought I would be getting the Sinnoh badges again,"_ He sighed and smiled to himself. _"So many memories…"_ He opened his eyes forcefully when a thought came to him. _"Crap, I forgot to ask Celebi if we were able to change that important event in the beginning,"_ He sighed. _"I guess I'm just going to assume that we didn't because we haven't really had any progress,"_ Ash closed his eyes again. _"I'll just think about tomorrow. Besides, all the fun starts these next few days…"_

It seemed like the next morning came quickly for Ash and May after the long night. They had slept in a little late, but Max and Brock did not question the unusual occurrence. However, Max was curious about something when May had gotten out of bed.

"Um, May?" The little boy asked questioningly.

"What is it?"

"Why are you wearing Ash's sweater?"

May looked at herself and realized Max was right—she was still wearing the warm sweater. Her cheeks flushed. "I uh…h-he gave it to me last night when we went for walk."

"Why were you guys walking out late at night?" Max crossed his arms and his sister a curious look.

May was trying to think of something to say that would not cause suspicion about Ash. She then realized that _she_ was the older sister and gave Max a serious look. "What I do or not do should not concern you! Maybe I should just tell dad that you were acting badly these past few days…" She gave him sly look.

Max was shocked. "B-but that would be lying! I haven't done anything bad, and you know dad would be angry with me!"

"Well, are you going to drop it?"

Max grumbled before he answered. "Yeah, I'll let it go…"

May smiled brightly. "Great! Now, I'm going to get ready, so we could head home!" With that she took off Ash's sweater and put it on his bed. Then she headed to restroom to prepare for the day.

The group had eaten breakfast before heading towards the port. They stopped by the Poké Mart to buy some last-minute supplies just in case something happened on the way. They had been walking for ten minutes through a small clearing in the forest when Max asked Ash what the trainer was going to do after they separated. The younger sibling mainly asked where was the next region that Ash was going to travel to. Ash thought about his answer for a moment. The trainer quickly glanced at Pikachu on his shoulder to see what the mouse thought. When Pikachu shrugged, Ash knew he was on his own for this one. "I'm going to do some special training on my own for a while," Ash said honestly. "I also want to relax before I head out to another region. Overall, I don't think I'll be traveling for about four months, maybe. I'll still be pretty busy, though," He finished.

"Oh, alright," Max said staring at the trainer. "So where are you going to go?"

"I'm going to the Sinnoh Region."

"Hmm…I think I've heard about that place," Brock interjected. "If I'm correct, then I heard it's pretty cold."

"I've heard that, too," Ash agreed.

The rest of the journey to the port was pretty quiet. The group exited the forest and reached it before noon. May and Max bought their tickets for the Hoenn Region—specifically a boat ride that took them straight to Petalburg City. They found the large ship which was already boarding passengers. May and Max looked at each other before turning back to their other two companions. Max spoke up.

"Well, this is it…" He said sorrowfully. "I had a lot of fun…"

Ash walked up to him and put an arm on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Max," He said. "We'll see each other someday. In fact, when you start your journey, I would be happy to travel with you."

"Really?!"

"Yeah, for sure, Max."

"And I'll be glad to tag along, too," Brock added.

Max smiled brightly.

May said goodbye to Brock and gave the breeder a hug.

"Tell Nurse Joy that I'll come visit her one day."

May laughed nervously. "If I remember, I'll be glad to give her the message." Brock thanked her and left to help Max get onto the ship. May turned and saw Ash with Pikachu on his shoulder standing in front of her. May gave him a quick hug before stepping back. "I want to say thanks, Ash."

"For what?"

"You've done so much for me and Max that I don't really know what to say…" She stated thoughtfully. She put her hands behind her back, so he would not see her fidgeting.

Ash grinned. "There's no need to thank me, May," He said. "I had fun, too." There was small silence for a brief moment before the ship's horn sounded. "Well, that is your call. If you're ever feeling down or blue, you have that ribbon that we split to look at…it should remind you that I will always believe in you and that you will always have a friend cheering you on."

May smiled and gave him another hug. She spoke into his chest. "Will we see each other someday, Ash?"

"Yeah," He stated knowingly. "Remember, I told Max that I would travel with him. I would think you would join us, too, right?"

May gave Ash a playful, serious look. "Of course," She tried to say seriously. "I can't let my little brother travel by himself without my company!"

They both laughed.

"Come on, May!" Max yelled.

"Alright, May," Ash finished. "The ship is about to leave."

May nodded slowly and turned to get on the ship with Max. The two Hoenn natives boarded the ship and quickly made their way to the railing to wave goodbye to Brock and Ash. The horn sounded once more before starting to Petalburg. May and Max waved at their companions as they waved back to them. The distance was getting larger that it was getting difficult to see Ash and Brock on the land. Another minute passed by before the siblings finally spoke up.

"We will see them again one day, right?"

"Yes, we will, Max…" May stared at her brother. "I know we will…"

Ash and Brock waved until the ship was out of their view. They both gathered their things and began the journey back to Pallet Town. They walked for a couple hours when they reached a fork that split the road. Ash was familiar with the scene and decided to let Brock started it off.

"Well," Brock started. "You're going left to head for Pallet Town, and I have to head right for Pewter City. This is where we part ways."

Ash nodded. "I understand, Brock," The raven-haired trainer said. "Hopefully, we'll see each other on the next journey, right?"

"For sure!" Brock said eagerly. "A whole new region to explore with new adventures—count me in! Not to mention all the beautiful girls we will meet on the way!"

Ash laughed.

"I'll find you, Ash."

"I know you will, Brock," The long-time friends shook hands and went their separate ways. Ash turned and waved back to Brock one more time before heading home. It took the two time-travelers an hour to reach the hill that overlooked Pallet Town. Ash stared and saw his mom's home not too far away. "Well, Pikachu," He told his Pokémon. "Why don't we rest up before beginning the real journey."

"Pikachu!" The mouse agreed.

The duo walked down the hill and to the small house. Ash opened the door and called for his mom. He smiled when saw her walk down the stairs with the same smile she always had. "Hi, honey! I didn't get your call about coming home—this is a surprise!"

Ash and Pikachu smiled. They were home.

 **Well, that's it for now. I promise I will try to update as soon as I can. Like I stated in the beginning, I'm sorry, but I had to deal with sickness and then jury duty—let me tell you that it seems like both things last forever. Anyways, I again want to say thank you to all! All of you encourage me to continue this story. I know this chapter wasn't much, but I'm hoping the next one will be much more.**

 **Thanks again and please R &R! It really does inspire me to keep going.**

 **Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Pokémon.**

 **It's only been a little bit over a month since I've updated this story, and I have received many PMs asking me if this story is "dead." This tells me that I am doing my job, right? Let me reassure you all that I will finish this story; I have this thing that if I start something, I have to finish it. So you guys don't have to worry about this story being "dead" because** ** _I need_** **to finish it. But I appreciate the messages, and it tells me that I am doing a good job so far! Thank you, guys!**

 **I have also received suggestions on what to do next with the story. I want to say thanks and that I will incorporate some ideas into** ** _Timeflies._** **I have to say that I liked most of the things that people suggested.**

 **Alright, I'll let you guys enjoy now.**

 **Chapter 6**

Four hours into the trip to Petalburg City, Max was getting restless. He and May had been sitting in their room ever since they waved goodbye to Ash and Brock; the reason being that May did not want to do anything but stay in the room until they arrived home. Max was getting tired of waiting, though, as he was very eager to share his stories and adventures with his parents.

May and Max had one of the only rooms on the ship with a window that overlooked the ocean. It had two beds, a small cabinet, and a table that included two chairs to sit on. The room was not fancy, but the two siblings thought it was really nice. They were both at the moment sitting around the table. May was staring out the window looking at the ocean. She seemed to be concentrating deeply on the movement of the waves.

"May!"

May jumped and snapped out of her trance from the sudden outburst. She looked angrily at her brother. "Why are you yelling at me, Max! I'm right next to you!"

"Well, you weren't paying attention to me when I asked you a question," Max argued as he crossed his arms.

"What do you want?"

"I asked you what are you going to do until you travel again? I also asked if you were hungry because I'm starving."

"That's none of your business," May ignored.

Max sighed. "Come on, May, don't act like that."

"Well, if you must know, I'm going to do a lot of shopping," She said looking away from her brother and towards the window again. "I'm really just going to relax. I need to figure out where I'm going to compete in next."

Max looked at his sister a little confusingly. "Why don't you just follow your rivals?" He asked. "I heard Solidad say she was going to Johto to compete in the Pokémon Contests. Why not just go there?"

"I don't know…" May said softly as she continued looking at the waves in the ocean. "I do want to go to Johto, but I'm interested in another place that also has contests…"

Max looked at her curiously before realizing what she was talking about. "Are you thinking about going where Ash was talking about?" He questioned. "I can't remember the name of it…maybe because I'm hungry," Max tried hinting to her. "Hey, why don't we try to remember while we get some food?"

"It's called S-"

 _Knock. Knock._

May stopped and turned her head when she heard knocking on their room door.

Max got up from his seat and walked over to open the door. He opened it and looked shockingly at the familiar green-haired guest.

"Drew?!"

"So this is your room," Drew smiled as he flicked his hair. His eyes scattered the room before he continued. "Can I come in?"

"No."

"Max!" May yelled at her brother.

"What? I thought we were going to get something to eat," Max argued. "Besides, it's almost five o'clock, and you know we have to get some rest because the ship is going to arrive in Petalburg early in the morning!"

"Yeah, but Drew can come in for a little bit," May countered.

"Thank you, May," Drew walked passed the two siblings and into the room. "Oh, I almost forgot—here," He handed May a red rose before taking a seat where Max was previously sitting.

"Thank you for the rose," She said politely. May put it on her bed before turning back to Drew. "So why are you on a ship heading towards Petalburg City? I know you don't live close to there."

"Yeah," Max interjected. "Why are you here, Drew? Here to get to some tips from the person that beat you?"

"Max!"

"What?" The young boy shrugged to his sister. "I'm just saying that could be why he's here."

The green-haired coordinator glared at Max for moment before turning to May. "Well I wanted to talk to you…and I don't mind the walk to my city," Drew flicked his hair. "It'll give me time to come up with new strategies to win in future contests."

"What did you want to talk about?" May asked completely ignoring his last statement.

"I wanted to know when you planned to leave for Johto; I know the contests start in a few months," He explained. Drew then stood from his seat and looked May in the eyes. "I wanted to know if you considered the offer I told you back at the Indigo Plateau…about traveling together."

May looked away from him and stared at the ground. "I don't know, Drew…"

The cocky coordinator sighed. "It's okay," Drew stated sincerely. "I understand…well when do you plan on leaving for the Johto Region?"

May sighed. "I'm not really sure I'm going to Johto either…"

Drew's eyes widened. "Y-you're not going to give up contests are you? If it's because you lost to Solidad in the Kanto Grand Festival, just know that I also would've had trouble beating her, too."

Max glared at Drew with a dumbfound look. _"This guy's an idiot…"_

"No, no, I'm not giving up on contests," May looked up and reassured her rival. "I just think I might travel somewhere else."

"Where?"

"The Sinnoh Region," May answered. "Ash told me about it. He said it has have gyms and contests. So I might travel to Sinnoh…"

Drew cringed when he heard Ash's name. "Ketchum told you this? How did he find out about this place?"

May shrugged. "I, honestly, don't know," She said. She then turned away and smiled softly. "These past few days I've noticed a change in him," May paused before she continued. "It's hard to describe, but he's seems different—he's more mature and well-aware of his surroundings…he's more thoughtful, caring, compassionate, and kindh-"

"We get it!" Max interrupted.

May blushed deeply from embarrassment.

Drew noticed her expression and decided to change the subject away from Ash. "So you want to go to Sinnoh?"

"I don't know—maybe," May replied honestly. "But I also want to go to Johto because that's where all my rivals are going…"

"Well I think you should go to Johto," The green-haired coordinator said desperately. He knew she would be making a huge mistake if she traveled to this 'Sinnoh' place and meet up with Ash. Drew then thought of a good explanation to try and convince May to go to Johto. "I think it would benefit you more to travel alone and develop as a coordinator than to travel with a trainer like Ketchum. Trust me—I know what I'm talking about."

May put her hands behind her back and stared at the ground thoughtfully. She was not ready to make this decision yet, and Drew was demanding a response from her right now. The Hoenn Princess then remembered what Ash had told her about making decisions: they should be made for herself. May looked up to her friend and her brother who were both staring at her cautiously waiting for a response. "Drew, thank you for caring about me…" May paused before she continued. "But I can decide for myself what's best for my career, and I don't like that you're trying to make my decisions for me…I can do that for myself."

Max grinned at his sister's comments.

Drew realized he said something wrong and tried to correct his mistake. "I'm sorry, May," He sincerely apologized. "I didn't mean to say or do anything to get you upset."

"I know you didn't…" May responded. There was a brief silence before she spoke up again. "I think it's time for me and Max to go get something to eat."

"Finally!" Max said in relief. "Let's go because I am starving."

"I guess I'll be leaving then," Drew slowly got up and walked towards the door. He did not want to say anything else to further damage his situation. Just as he was about to close the door behind him, May called to him.

"I'll see you around?"

Drew stared at her blankly for a brief moment before smiling confidently and flicking his hair. He nodded and closed the door.

They stared quietly at the door for a moment before May finally spoke up. "He was here to get 'some tips' from the person that beat him?" She asked slyly to her brother.

Max shrugged. "I just wanted to see him irritated over the fact that you beat him."

May giggled. "He did seem pretty upset, huh?"

They waited a few minutes before leaving their room to get something to eat. After eating a decent meal from the cafeteria, they both headed back to their room to get some rest. They were going to be arriving in Petalburg City early in the morning; they were going to be arriving home in the morning.

XxXxXxX

"Ash, breakfast is ready!"

"Okay, mom, we'll be down in a minute!"

The day Ash and Pikachu arrived home went by rather quickly **.** Delia celebrated her son returning home by making a big feast for them. After they finished the meal, Ash and Pikachu told her about their journey challenging the Battle Frontier—or at least what they could remember. They talked for a few hours before Ash decided to go bed. It was only six o'clock in the afternoon by then, but he wanted to wake up early to prepare for the next few months. The next day, Delia made breakfast a little earlier than she usually did because she knew Ash would be getting up early.

Ash walked swiftly down the stairs with Pikachu on his shoulders. He was wearing different clothes from yesterday. He was wearing a fitted black t-shirt with a large yellow thunderbolt symbol in the middle, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of trainers; he did, however, keep the same hat and fingerless gloves he wore the day before.

Delia smiled at her son as he sat down to eat his breakfast. "I bought you those clothes a long time ago, but I never thought you would actually wear them," She confessed. "You always seemed to like wearing jackets and sweaters rather than t-shirts."

"I know, but I thought I'd try something different in my next journey," Ash added. _"That and I remember you telling me how disappointed you were that I never wore the shirts you bought me…"_

"It makes me happy to see with those clothes!" She smiled brightly. Her smile, however, turned to a somewhat curious look. "But I don't know why you have to leave so soon when you just got here yesterday…when will you be back?"

"I just have to do a few things," Ash explained. "It should take me about three months to do everything I have to do, then I will spend one whole month resting at home—I promise, mom."

Delia sighed before smiling again. "Okay, honey, I understand," She said. Something then occurred to her. "I think this is the first time you've made plans for something. You usually just leave when someone else tells you about gym badges. My little boy is growing up!"

Ash just shrugged and smiled.

"Pika!" Pikachu said as he jumped off of Ash's shoulders to sit on the table. The yellow mouse grabbed a piece of bread off one the plates and started to eat it.

After eating breakfast and talking at the table for a while, Ash decided that he and Pikachu needed to leave if they wanted to stay on track of their schedule. "Are you ready to go, buddy?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said energetically.

"Great," Ash stood and walked over to his mom. When he reached Delia, Ash pulled her into a hug, which greatly surprised her since he's never done it before; nevertheless, she hugged him back. "I'll be back before you know it, mom," He let her go, said goodbye, and continued to walk out the door with Pikachu following closely behind.

"You guys be careful, okay!" Ash's mom yelled behind the door.

"We will!"

"Pika!"

After the last-minute goodbye, the duo began walking down the road that leads away from Pallet Town. They knew they were going to be doing a lot of traveling the next few months, so Ash and Pikachu did not bother stopping by Professor Oak's lab. They really did not need anything from the Professor, anyways. The time-travelers had just entered the forest outside of Pallet Town when they suddenly stopped walking. Ash spoke up to his companion.

"So where are we going first?"

"Pikachu pi pi pika," Pikachu answered.

"It's between Unova and Kalos?"

Pikachu nodded.

Ash rubbed his head while he contemplated his decision. A minute passed by before he finally spoke up. "Hmm, I think we should go to Kalos first," He said. "I feel like we have a lot to do over there. What do you think?"

"Pika," The yellow mouse agreed.

"Alright, that means we have to take a plane to get there."

"Pi pika pika chupi?"

Ash looked to the ground to see his companion smiling brightly. The Pokémon Master gave Pikachu a strange look. "I'm not about to catch a wild Pidgey just so we could 'fly' on top of it. Besides, that's physically impossible."

Pikachu shrugged. "Pika pi pika chu pi ka."

"Really? That was your 'best suggestion' instead of taking a plane?" Ash sighed and shook his head. "Let's just head out, so we can get tickets for the next flight…these next three months are going to feel so long."

XxXxXxX

May and Max had woken up early to get ready to leave the ship. They had finished getting dressed when the ship's horn rang loudly which announced that they had arrived.

"We have arrived in Petalburg City!" The attendant yelled. "I hope you all enjoyed the boat-ride to your destination!"

The Maple kids walked off the ship and continued to walk off the docks. They were not really in Petalburg City, but just outside a small forest path that led to their hometown. The docks were considered part of Petalburg because they were really close to it. May and Max had just entered the small forest path when they recognized two familiar faces walking in their direction. They saw who they were and started running to the familiar people.

"Mom!"

"Dad!"

May ran and embraced her dad in a hug while Max embraced his mom. After a few minutes of hugging and exchanging hugging partners, Caroline spoke up.

"We were just on our way to meet you both at the docks," She said as she looked at her children.

"We were going to wait," May stated. "But Max didn't want to wait for you guys."

"Hey!" Max exclaimed.

May stuck her tongue out to her brother.

Norman chuckled. "It's all right. Let's just head home before everybody starts heading this way—I don't want to be recognized this early in the day."

They all nodded and began to walk home. It took them about ten minutes to reach the small house that was next to the Petalburg Gym. The gym and house were both small, but when the greenhouse was included in their property, it seemed like the Maple family owned the most land in the city.

They walked into the house and sat around the living room. Kenny had greeted May and Max by giving them each a glass of ice tea and a cookie. He told them breakfast would be ready in about fifteen minutes, so it was okay for everybody to sit in the living room while he finished preparing the meal. They nodded, and Norman spoke up.

"So," He said. "How was the journey through Kanto?"

May opened her mouth to speak when Max cut her off. "It was great, dad!" He exclaimed. "I met so many Pokémon, and Ash beat the Battle Frontier! It was so cool when he beat Brandon's Regice!"

"Wow," Norman stated. "That's a pretty rare and strong Pokémon. Ash must have really gotten strong."

While Max and his dad talked about the many Pokémon battles that happened, Caroline turned to her daughter and spoke.

"How are you, May?"

May smiled. "I'm doing great, mom!" She said. "I had so much fun going through Kanto and performing in contests."

Caroline smiled. "That's great, honey," She was happy to see her daughter smile. However, Caroline's smile turned into a slight frown. "I'm sorry about your loss at the Kanto Grand Festival…I know it must've been so difficult to come so close and not make it…"

May frowned slightly and looked down. "It was hard to lose to Solidad…I have to admit I didn't take it well either," She replied honestly. "I blamed myself for losing and not winning the entire contest…I thought my way of performing was the main reason I lost, too—like I was performing differently from a real coordinator…"

"Oh, May, you shouldn't think like that," Her mom countered. "The way you perform is the reason why you made it to the Grand Festival in the first place; not to mention you made it pretty far in the Grand Festival, too."

"I know that now, mom," May said softly. "Ash made me realize I shouldn't be feeling sorry for myself because he said I did great…he said my performance style isn't _different_ —it's _unique_ and that's what makes me such a great performer…"

Caroline had a shocked expression on her face. "Ash told you this?"

May nodded slowly.

"Are we talking about the same Ash that thought Max was the gym leader almost a year ago?"

May smiled as she nodded. "Yeah, I know," The young brunette said. Her eyes and voice softened as she continued. "I couldn't believe it either, but those words came out of his mouth…I don't know, mom, but Ash has changed in the past few weeks. He's…I can't even describe it in words. He's just really special…"

Caroline grinned widely at her daughter's dreamy expression. "I think I understand, May."

"Alright, guys," Kenny said as he walked into the living room. "Breakfast is ready!"

The Maple family enjoyed a nice breakfast together. The talk at the table just included May's plans to continue traveling. She told her parents she was not sure what she was going to do next, but that she was going to be thinking about it as she relaxed at home for a while.

The rest of the day went by quickly in the Maple household. By the time they knew it, it was ten o'clock at night. They all went to their respective bedrooms to get some much needed sleep. May had changed into some yellow pajamas and headed straight to bed. She covered herself with her blankets and closed her eyes.

 _"_ _Well, another Grand Festival over, and I still haven't won one,"_ She sighed loudly. _"Oh well—at least I had fun. Now I just have to figure out where I'm going next,"_ May thought of the two destinations where she could travel next. _"I can either go to Johto or Sinnoh…I have a few months before I have to make a choice, so I might as well and get some sleep. I have a lot of shopping days ahead of me,"_ May smiled as she drifted to sleep.

XxXxXxX

May slowly fluttered her eyes opened. She groaned loudly as she stretched her body in her bed. She turned and looked at the clock on her nightstand and saw that it was ten o'clock in the morning. May groaned again as she covered herself with her blanket. It was too early in the day for the Hoenn Princess. Ever since arriving home two months ago, May would not get out of bed before eleven o'clock. She really loved sleeping.

"I should probably get ready and head out," May thought out loud as she sat up. She changed into a small red blouse, a pair of fitted blue jeans, and a pair of trainers. Her clothes complimented her "hourglass" figure which developed as the months passed by. When May finished changing, she headed downstairs to get some breakfast. Max and Norman were already eating while Caroline was in the kitchen helping Kenny cook.

"Morning, May!" Norman cheerfully said.

"Morning, dad."

"What are you planning to do today?"

May scratched her cheek as she thought about her plans for the day. A few seconds had passed before she answered her dad. "I think I'm going to go shopping for a little while," She stated. "Then after that I'll probably go to the park. I'm planning on taking Eevee with me, so I'll pick her up from the greenhouse after I finish eating."

"It seems like you have a busy day," Caroline said coming out of the kitchen.

Max gave his mom a strange look. _"A busy day?"_ He thought to himself. _"All she's going to do is shop and go to the park! Slakoth does more in day than she does!"_

May nodded. After eating breakfast with her family, she retrieved Eevee and went straight to the mall with the small Pokémon by her side. "If I am going to travel to a new region, I want a new look to show off!" May stated out loud.

"Vee!" Eevee squealed happily. The little brown Pokémon enjoyed shopping with her trainer which lately had been every other day. Even though May hardly bought anything, Eevee still liked the time they spent together.

Three hours of going from store to store in the Petalburg Mall, May had not found anything that she would wear on her next journey. Every time the coordinator did find something she thought looked nice, Eevee would shake her head letting May know that it was not a good choice. After another hour of searching, the duo gave up.

May and Eevee walked over to a bench in front of a small store and sat down sadly. She sighed. "We've searched for over three hours and found nothing…" May sulked in disappointment.

Eevee stared at her trainer worryingly. The Evolution Pokémon did not like to see May sad. All of a sudden, something in the store-window caught Eevee 's attention. She put her paw against May to get her attention, but it did not work. So Eevee decided to jump off the bench and ran into the store.

May looked up and saw her Pokémon run into a store. "Eevee, wait up!" She yelled. "Eevee where are you?"

"Vui!"

"There you are," May said a little concerned. "Why did you run off like that?"

Eevee did not say anything to her; the Pokémon just stared at the outfit she was next to. May looked at Eevee then looked up at the direction her little companion was looking at.

May walked over to the outfit and grabbed it. "You like this?"

Eevee nodded eagerly.

"Okay, I'll try it on," May grabbed a pair of shoes she thought would match the outfit and ran towards the dressing room with Eevee following closely behind.

After a couple of minutes of waiting, May came out of the dressing room. "Well, what do you think?" She did a little twirl to show it off.

"Vee…" Eevee said mesmerized by her trainer.

May was wearing a green bandanna with a white Poké ball on it; an orange top with a black outlining that stretched to the collar; a pair of small, black, biker shorts which was covered by a small white skirt; a pair of black socks that came up to her shins; and a pair of orange shoes to match the orange top.

"Not bad, Eevee," May smiled. "You sure have a good sense of style. I also like the white gloves that come with it, and the green fanny pack is a bonus! Let's go pay for this, so we can finally head to park."

May grabbed the clothes she was originally wearing and went towards the counter. She put all her old clothes in the shopping bag and told the cashier she was going to leave wearing the new outfit. Just before May finished paying, Eevee came running with a light orange backpack in her mouth. She jumped on the counter and placed the backpack on the register.

"We'll take that, too," May said with a smile.

After leaving the mall, they went to the park to relax for a bit. May figured Eevee really deserved a nice trip to the park since the little, brown Pokémon found her the "perfect" outfit. The brunette sat down on a park bench while Eevee chased the wild Taillow.

 _"_ _I only have a week left to decide where I'm going to go…"_ May thought as she watched Eevee scare the Taillow away. _"I want to go to Johto, but another part of me really wants to go to Sinnoh,"_ She sighed and closed eyes. _"Why is this such a hard decision?! I should just go to Johto and compete with Drew, Harley, and Solidad…but what if_ he _forgets me while I'm in Johto…"_ May quickly opened eyes when she realized what she was thinking. _"Why is_ Ash _even a reason for me to think about my decision?! Besides, he wouldn't outright forget me—we're friends, and Ash never forgets about his friends,"_ She contemplated to herself. "Okay…I think I know what I'm going to do…"

"Going to do about what?" A voice said standing behind the bench.

May quickly turned around to see Drew standing behind her. "D-drew?" She had not seen the green-haired coordinator in over two months since talking with him on the ship. "What are you doing here in Petalburg?"

"I was just passing by before I caught a ride to Johto," He walked around the bench to sit down next to May. "I had decided to take a walk through this park when I saw you sitting alone. But anyways, you still haven't answered my question—what are you going to do?"

"I-I was just talking to myself about some stuff I had to do," May stated. _"It's not like I'm lying to him…right?"_

"Alright, well, I know y-"

"Vui!"

Before Drew could finish, Eevee, surprisingly, jumped on May's lap. The brown Pokémon saw the green-haired teen take a seat next to May and ran to "protect" her. It was not that Eevee did not like Drew, but she did not like to leave May alone with someone she did not really know.

"Uh, okay," Drew was surprised by the sudden action. He shook his head before he continued. "Anyways, I want to say you look very nice…that new look suits you."

"Thanks," May smiled warmly. "But Eevee deserves the credit; she's the one who picked it out."

"Really? She has a good sense of style."

"She sure does…" May said while scratching the brown fox's head.

"So…I know you've been thinking about making a choice between Johto and Sinnoh…" Drew gave her a serious look. "Have you made a decision? The Pokémon Contests in Johto start in a few weeks."

May gave Drew a blank stare. "I really don't know, yet, Drew," She admitted. "I want to go to Johto…but another part of me is telling me to go to Sinnoh."

Drew sighed in frustration. "Why can't you just go through Johto first and then Sinnoh?" He said a little arrogantly.

"Well…I-I kind of want to travel with Ash again…" May confessed. She smiled at her next statement. "Plus, Brock said he was going to go, and I really miss his cooking."

"May, be serious, please," Drew sternly said. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to be hanging around Ketchum so much. His battle style is rubbing off on you and it's not good for a coordinator like you."

May gave an annoyed look at him. "Drew, I already told you it's for me to decide," She countered. "If I decided to go to Sinnoh then that is my choice. Besides, you shouldn't be judging me on my battle style considering I beat you in the Grand Festival."

Drew's eyes widened in anger at her last statement. "Well, you should be gr-"

"Hey, May."

The two coordinators on the bench turned their heads to see a man standing a few feet away from.

"Dad?" May stared curiously at the broad-shouldered man. "What are you doing here?"

Norman smiled. "I came here for a walk," He replied. "And I was hoping I'd run into you because your mother said we couldn't eat without you."

May's stomach growled loudly. "I am pretty hungry. What time is it?"

Norman glanced at his watch to check the time. "It is going to be four in the afternoon. You've been gone for a while, May." Norman then turned to Drew who seemed to be a little scared. "Who is this boy?" He asked his daughter.

"This is Drew."

"Hello, Drew," Norman said sticking out his hand. "I'm Norman—May's father."

"H-hello, s-sir." Drew replied nervously while shaking his hand.

"Drew…" The gym leader rubbed his chin. "Hmm, that name sounds very familiar."

Drew smiled confidently and flicked his hair. _"Well, it's a good sign that May's father knows who I am."_

"I faced him in the Grand Festival, dad," May said.

"Oh, that's right," Norman smiled and turned to Drew. "Yeah, I remember now. You were the one that May beat down to advance in the Grand Festival."

Drew opened his mouth in disbelief of the man's statement. May, on the other hand, was trying hard not to laugh her father's honesty.

"Well, I think we should get going now, May," Norman turned to the green-haired coordinator. "It was nice meeting you."

May smiled and stood up. "Drew," She said. "If we see each other again, then it'll be in the first contest in the Johto Region…but if you don't see me there, then you'll know that I went to Sinnoh. Either way, good luck in your journey, Drew. Let's go Eevee!"

"Vee!" Eevee happily said jumping on May's shoulders.

With that the Maples started to walk back to their house leaving a shocked Drew alone in the park.

"What was that all about, May?" Norman asked. "You looked like you were arguing with that boy."

"Oh, it was nothing, dad—just a rivalry thing. But I don't think it's going to happen again for a while."

"Oh, and why is that?"

May smiled brightly and stared straight into the distance. "Because I won't be seeing him in my next journey…"

XxXxXxX

Bright flashes could be seen in Pinwheel Forest from Nacrene City.

"98…99…100!" A tired Ash said as he held onto a thick tree branch. "Okay, Pikachu, you can stop shocking me," He just finished doing some "shocking pull-ups" as Pikachu put it.

"Pika pika," Pikachu said as the mouse fell backwards. He and Ash had been training for two hours straight.

"I'm so tired…" Ash let go of the branch and walked over to his bag. He grabbed a towel to clean his face and shirtless body. After traveling and exercising non-stop for the past two months, Ash's body had become exceedingly muscular. It was not as strong, or big in size, as it was in the future, but it would do for now. His shoulders, chest, and back were more thick and broad; his legs were strong and thick; and his stomach displayed a very toned six-pack. In reality, all of his muscles were very toned, but his abs were extremely defined.

"Pika pika pika ka?"

"Huh? No, not Grotle. I think today's match up will be Sliggoo vs Glalie," Ash corrected. "I want Sliggoo to be able to handle itself against ice types.

Pikachu nodded and asked another question. "Pikachu pika pika?"

"I know Charizard is waiting for us," Ash said. "But I want him to get the most training at the Charicific Valley before we go get him. Besides, he doesn't really need me to train him," He turned to see Snorlax swiftly dodge a Leaf Blade from Sceptile. Ash smiled at the progress his Pokémon were making. "One more month and we'll be ready to take on the Sinnoh League…and save the future."

 **I know it took a little while for me to update. I am sorry guys, but remember I have school, work, and personal stuff. I will try to write whenever I can, so I will be able to update something.**

 **Alright, my readers, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I will try my best to make each chapter better than the next! This one seemed a little slow, but I promise to make the other ones more exciting. But let me know what you all thought! I enjoy reading your feedback!**

 **Please R &R! It really does inspire me to update faster.**

 **-RedHood06**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Pokémon or any of its characters. It's sad, but true…**

 **R &R and enjoy.**

Chapter 7

"You're making a big mistake, May…" Drew said to himself. He watched quietly while May and her father left the park. He was left alone on the bench to think about the conversation he had just had with May. Drew groaned frustratingly. "Why can't she see that Ketchum will only bring her down? Is she that confused?" He closed his eyes and sighed loudly. He then slowly opened his eyes and grinned while he flicked his hair. "I have a feeling I know where you're going, May. It's a gut feeling, yes, but I'm always right about these things…I have to save you from Ketchum," He stood up from the bench and began walking to the mall where May and Eevee shopped. "I need to buy a few jackets…from what I've researched, it's pretty cold in the Sinnoh Region."

XxXxXxX

After the meeting with Drew at the park, the next few days went by rather quickly for May. She mostly spent the days at home with her family and training her Pokémon. She knew it would be a few months until she saw her parents again when she left on her journey, so she wanted to make the most out of being home. May would talk for hours with her mom about anything they could think of; mainly about focusing on coordinating and having fun with friends. Then, she would spend time with her dad by talking about Ash's battles—at least from her point of view since Max already explained everything to Norman in great detail.

It was the morning of the day May was going to leave for Pallet Town. She was in her room packing her things and necessities into her new, orange bag and small pack she bought from the mall. May remembered Ash saying he was going to leave in four months to Sinnoh, so she wanted to see him a month before to convince him to leave together. Plus, the brunette wanted to spend time with her friend before they started traveling again—if Ash says "yes" that is.

 _Knock. Knock._

May turned and yelled. "It's open."

Caroline opened the door and smiled. "Packed up and ready to go, May?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," May answered. "It feels kinda weird to be leaving without Max, though…"

"I bet it is," Caroline responded. "But your dad already explained to you why he wants Max to stay home, right? So he can learn more about battling in a gym…your dad does want Max to take his place as the gym leader one day, you know."

May smiled. "I know and that's why I didn't try to convince him to come with me," She said. May put her finger on her chin and thought aloud. "I wonder how Ash is going to react when I tell him about Max…"

"I'm sure he's going to understand," Caroline then grinned slyly. "Besides, he'll have you to travel with, right?"

"I guess…"

Caroline walked up to her daughter and hugged her. "You're going to have fun traveling with Ash again…I know you will," She let go of May and spoke up again. "We'll say our goodbyes downstairs when you're ready. Don't take so long because you have to be on the boat before ten o'clock and it's already nine-thirty."

May nodded. "Okay, mom," She said. "I'll be down in a minute."

Caroline turned around and walked out of the room.

 _"_ _I better get all my stuff and get going,"_ May thought. She was dressed in the orange outfit Eevee picked out in the mall a few days ago. She put on her backpack and put the small pack around her waist and began walking out the door. "Oh, I almost forgot," May stopped and turned around, walking back to her cabinet. She picked up the ticket and put it in her small pack on her waist. "I can't get on the boat without the ticket, right. I hope it's worth it, too."

May briskly walked down the stairs and saw her brother and her parents waiting at the door. She smiled and walked over to them. "Well, it's time for me go…"

Norman grabbed her into a hug. "You be careful, honey," He said. He let her go but held on to her shoulders. "Have fun in your contests, and we'll be rooting for ya."

"Thanks, dad."

"Okay, it's my turn," Caroline pushed her husband away and hugged May. "I'm going to miss you, sweetie…" She let her daughter go and continued. "Don't forget to call once in a while, alright? And don't do anything dangerous or stupid."

"Mom, she's gonna travel with Ash," Max interjected. "Something stupid _and_ dangerous is bound to happen."

"Max!"

"I didn't mean to you, May; I meant to Ash," Max replied to his sister.

"Well, just be careful," Caroline said before her kids started arguing. "You better get going now."

May nodded and walked to door. She grabbed the handle and opened it before stopping. "I'm going to miss you, Max…"

Max gave her a surprised look before smiling. "Of course, you are," He said as he pushed up his glasses. "I was the Grimer who held the group together."

May shook her head and smiled before walking out and closing the door.

XxXxXxX

It took the brunette about fifteen minutes to get to the docks and another five minutes to find the boat she was taking to Kanto. The vessel appeared larger than a normal boat but smaller than a ship. Other than the size, the boat was no different from any other.

 _"_ _Well, it's supposed to be a 'luxury' speedboat,"_ May thought. _"Maybe she thought making it bigger would make it look fancier…but I won't complain if the people were right about the time it takes to get to Pallet Town,"_ She remembered walking around Petalburg City one afternoon and hearing a family talk about their vacation through the Kanto Region. She heard the parents joyfully commend the captain for arriving in a "record time" of three hours to Pallet Town—at least that is what she heard them say. This promptly convinced May to go visit the captain. Although she was not sure what region she was going to at the time, May thought it would not hurt to have good transportation ready—just in case. The brunette shook away the memory and approached the vessel. She saw the captain putting away some cases on the boat. "Hey, Captain Erin!"

The woman turned around to see May smiling at her. Captain Erin was a beautiful woman who loved the ocean. She had dark, black hair that came down her shoulders and crystal, blue eyes that matched the sea's clear water. She was wearing a pair of dark, blue jeans with a pair of boots and a black long-sleeved shirt. Every sailor would have loved to travel with Erin through the ocean; unfortunately, the beautiful captain liked to travel alone. "Good morning, Ms. Maple," She said in her soft voice. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yup," May answered. "I'm all set whenever you're ready!"

"Alright, get on board, so we can head out," Erin gestured for May to get on. "You're my only passenger today, but I still like to make good-time."

"How long do you think it'll take to get there?" Said May as she got on the boat.

"Well, I'm guessing it'll be about four hours at most," The captain concluded. "The current is nice today, so it could be a shorter ride than that."

May nodded and sat down in a seat close to the dark-haired woman. "I'm ready," May said as she buckled herself in.

"Alright," Erin turned on the engine and unraveled the rope from the dock. She returned to the steering wheel and closed her eyes while she whispered to herself. May tried to listen, but only heard a couple of words like "guide" and "my friend". Captain Erin opened her eyes and smiled. "Hold on tight, May. We're gonna take off now…"

"I said I wa—AAHH!" Was all May said before the boat took off at an incredibly fast speed.

Every person on the docks turned their heads to the ocean where they saw a boat moving tremendously quick and heard a thirteen-year-old girl yelling as loud as an Exploud.

XxXxXxX

"How long is it going to take us to get home again?"

"Pi."

"Six hours!"

"Pika pika chupi."

"Yeah, I guess we are still pretty far…"

Ash and Pikachu were on the far west side of Viridian City. They were arriving from the Johto Region where they had just finished getting Charizard from the Charicific Valley. Retrieving Charizard ended up being the last stop the duo made before deciding to head home to Pallet Town. It had been a total of three months and one day since Ash and Pikachu left home on their side mission, so they wanted to get home to keep their promise to Delia.

Ash sighed. "Well, we're gonna miss breakfast and lunch, but at least we'll be home before dinner…"

"Pika kapi chu," Pikachu said on Ash's shoulder.

"True, we'll get to have breakfasts and lunches for a _full_ month when we get home," Ash agreed happily. He took in a deep breath and began walking. "Come on, buddy. We won't get anywhere if we're just talking, right?"

With that the duo began making the long walk home.

XxXxXxX

"Can you see the docks, May?" Captain Erin asked. They were about four hundred yards away from the shore and traveling at a decent speed. Erin slowed the speedboat down a great amount after passing the Johto waters. She told May they were making extremely good time that they could cruise the rest of the trip and still be true with her estimate of four hours—to be exact, it had been three hours and forty minutes since they left the docks from Petalburg.

May stood up from her seat and squinted her eyes in the direction they headed. She could make out other ships and people walking along the docks. "Yeah, I can see it! It shouldn't take us to get there now, right?"

"No, it should be about ten minutes from where we are."

May smiled. _"I'm already in Pallet Town, and it's only gonna be two in the afternoon."_ She thought. _"Ash is going to be so surprised to see me. I mean, of course he is because I didn't tell him I was coming…maybe I should've told him,"_ May started contemplating herself. She shook her head and reassured herself. _"No…I'm sure Ash wouldn't mind if I just showed up to visit him—asking to travel together again might be a different story, but showing up randomly should be okay."_

It took a total of fifteen minutes to arrive to the shore. Captain Erin docked her boat and helped May off the vessel. The dark-haired woman smiled at the teen. "So, what'd you think? It was pretty quick, right?"

"I wouldn't have gotten here faster with anyone else," May stated brightly.

Erin grinned. "Thank you, May. I hope you enjoy your time here in Kanto!"

May shook the captain's hand, said goodbye to her, and turned around to walk off the docks.

XxXxXxX

"If I remember correctly, it should be…there it is!" May said as she found the small house. After leaving the port, May decided her best option was to go to Ash's house. For a moment, she thought of going to get some food because she was pretty hungry, but the brunette figured Ash's mom would be making lunch right now, so she took a chance and just headed for Ash's house. She walked up to the house and rang the doorbell.

"I'm going!" A voice inside the house yelled.

After hearing the voice, May, suddenly, straightened out her hair and her outfit. She then gave herself a confused look. _"Why'd I just do that?"_

The door opened and showed a serious Delia. "I thought you would've be-" She stopped herself when she saw it was not whom she thought it was. "Oh," Delia said surprisingly before smiling brightly. "Hi, May!"

May smiled slightly. She was confused when Delia first opened the door but quickly shook it off. "Uh, hi, Mrs. Ketchum. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, dear," Delia responded happily. She moved aside and continued. "Why don't you come inside, so you can relax and we can talk?"

May happily accepted and walked into the house. She took a seat on the sofa after Mrs. Ketchum gestured for her to sit down.

"So," Delia spoke up. "What brings you Pallet Town? Are you here to see Ash?"

"Yeah, I am here to see him," May looked around the house to see any sign of the trainer. "Is here right now or is he with Professor Oak?"

Delia sighed. "I actually don't know where he is," She confessed. "He left on a trip about three months ago and hasn't returned."

"What?!" May yelled as she stood up. She realized what she just did and quickly covered her mouth as she slowly sat down. She slowly moved her hands away and spoke. "I-I'm sorry, Mrs. Ketchum. I didn't mean to yell I…was just surprised from what you told me, that's all," She apologized. _"Did he leave earlier than he said he was? But, he said he'd leave in four months, and Ash is not a person who'd lie about something like that…right?"_

"That's okay, May," Delia sympathized. "I understand why you were so surprised…"

There was a brief silence before May spoke up again.

"So, you don't know where he is?"

Ash's mom shook her head. "No, but he should've been home yesterday."

After hearing those words, May sighed in relief. _"Okay, so he's supposed to come home—that means he didn't necessarily leave for Sinnoh, and I can still ask him if I can go with him…but where did he go?"_ She thought to herself. "Do you know where he was going?"

"No, he just said he'd be back in three months," Delia responded. The older woman heard a grumbling noise from May's position and smiled. "Are you hungry, dear?"

May blushed. "Um, a little bit," She admitted as she held her stomach. "I actually haven't eaten since breakfast…"

Delia's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, we can't have you going without eating for that long. You wait here while I make you a few sandwiches, okay?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum," May smiled. However, her smile turned into a confused look. "Wait, did you say a 'few sandwiches'?"

Delia nodded happily.

"Oh, I-I'm fine with just two, please."

"Nonsense," Delia countered. "I don't mind making a few. Besides, Ash said you could finish a buffet by yourself if you really wanted to, so I know you can eat well—especially if your stomach is rumbling."

"H-he said that about me!" May's face heated up from embarrassment. _"Oh, we're going to have a talk when I see him again."_

"You shouldn't feel embarrassed, May. I've always liked girls who can eat a lot," Delia told the brunette. "It shows that you aren't afraid to show your true self."

For some reason, May felt less embarrassed and angry towards Ash after hearing those words. "Uh, o-okay…I guess you have a point there."

"I know I do," Delia said as she walked into the kitchen. "They should be finished in about ten minutes if you want to come sit at the table."

"I'm coming, Mrs. Ketchum!" May got up from the sofa and made her way to the table. _"Where did you go for three months, Ash?"_

XxXxXxX

"We're finally here, Pikachu," Ash stated.

"Pika…"

They were currently standing on top of the hill that overlooked Pallet Town. It took the duo six and half hours to reach their hometown. They thought about flying on Charizard, but they wanted to battle any trainer they might meet on the way. To their disappointment, there were no trainers who were willing to face Ash because of the way he looked. His muscular appearance and ripped shirt intimidated most of the challengers—well, at least the male challengers. For this reason, Pikachu made Ash buy a large, black sweater to shell his physique. By this time, though, Ash and Pikachu had passed the main road where the strong trainers tended to be.

"Pikapi, pika pika chu pi?" Pikachu asked.

"I told you why I'm still wearing this sweater," Ash said. "I bought it, so I'm going to wear it. Besides, you're the one who told me to get it, so you should be happy I'm wearing it."

Pikachu shrugged. "Pika pika chupi."

"I don't care if I look ridiculous because we're not far from home anyways," Ash countered. "You know what—let's just get home, so we can have dinner and get some rest. It's only gonna be five, but I'm pretty tired."

They climbed down the hill and continued to the small house. Ash and Pikachu reached the house and opened the door.

"Mom, I'm home!"

"Ash, is that you?" He heard a voice say from upstairs.

Ash smiled brightly. "Yeah, it's me, mom!"

"I'm in your room showing off your trophies and badges if you want to come up!"

"Alright, I'll be—wait, did you say you were showing my badges to someone?" Ash stopped and questioned. "To whom?"

"Just come upstairs, Ash!"

Ash looked at Pikachu who just shrugged. They both quickly strolled upstairs and approached the room.

Ash grabbed the handle and opened it slowly. "I'm sorry, mom. I know I sa—May?" He noticed his Hoenn companion sitting next to his mom on his bed. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, hello to you, too, Ash," Delia responded.

"Oh, um…sorry, mom," Ash walked over to his mom and gave her a hug. He let her go before he continued. "We meant to be here a little earlier, but we got a little sidetracked."

Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder to Delia's lap. "Pika!"

"Hi, Pikachu! I've missed you, too," Said Delia as she gave the Pokémon a hug.

Ash turned to May, who was standing by then with her hands innocently behind her back, and smiled. "Hey, May," He said. "It's nice to see you again."

May closed the distance between the them and squeezed the trainer into a tight hug. "It's nice to see you again, too, Ash…" She replied into his chest.

Ash was surprised at first, but he eventually hugged her back. After a few seconds, he pulled away and spoke. "So, what brings you here? I thought you'd be starting the Pokémon Contests in Johto by now. Are you taking a break already?"

May slightly grinned and looked away from the trainer. "Um, actually…I didn't go to Johto at all…" She said lowly.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked puzzlingly.

 _"_ _Well, here goes nothing,"_ May thought. She took in a deep breath before responding. "I-I thought maybe I could, um…travel with you again…you know, through the Sinnoh Region."

 _"_ _What the hell did I do wrong this time?! This definitely didn't happen in the past!"_ He said to himself. Ash maintained a blank expression as to not arouse any suspicion when he first saw May, but it was extremely difficult after hearing May's words and proposition. He knew what "younger Ash" would have said, so he responded in that way—even if he did not want to, Ash knew he had to. "Y-yeah, it would be so fun for us to travel through Sinnoh together," He told May. _"Stupid, stupid, stupid…"_

"Really?!" May could not believe—even though she had a good feeling—he said 'yes'. She jumped for joy and gave Ash another hug. "Oh, thank you, Ash! I know we're going to have fun traveling again. I mean, Max won't be with us this time, but I'm pretty sure we can navigate through the region without him…"

Ash nodded knowingly. "That's right…he stayed with Norman to learn more about gym battles."

May let go of him and looked shockingly at the trainer. "Y-yeah, that's exactly it. How did you know?"

 _"_ _Shit! What's going on with me today?"_ He thought angrily. "I-It was, um, just a lucky guess?" Ash did not believe himself.

May smiled brightly. "That was really lucky, then."

Ash sighed in relief.

"Well," Delia interrupted the two teens. She put Pikachu on the bed and stood up. "I better head downstairs and start preparing dinner. If I know my son, he must be hungry by now, am I right?"

After hearing those words, Ash's stomach growled loudly. "I guess I am pretty hungry," Ash replied sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

Delia smiled. "Good…dinner will be ready in thirty minutes," She commented as she left the room.

There was a brief silence between the two teens before Ash spoke up again.

"So," He said. "How long have you been here for?"

May placed her finger on her chin as she answered. "About three hours."

"Alright, so you haven't been here for that long…"

"Not really, but…" She stopped and backed away from the trainer. May glanced at the clothes he was wearing and gave him an awkward look. "Before we talk about anything else, what are you wearing?"

Ash gave himself a look. "It's a big sweater," He stated blankly.

"Why?"

"It's a long story," Ash told her. "Just know that I used it to stop scaring trainers away."

"What would other people be scared of you," May asked. "Besides that, you're home already, so you can take it off because it looks ridiculous on you, Ash."

"Pika!"

"Really, Pikachu!" Ash retorted.

"Pikapi, pika kapi chu," Pikachu defended.

"I know you told me that first, but that's not the point," Ash calmed himself and sighed. "Alright, I'll take a shower and change while you both go wait downstairs. Are you both fine with that?"

They both nodded.

"Good," Ash said. "I'll see you guys in a few minutes."

Pikachu jumped from the bed and quickly ran out the room.

May was walking out the door when Ash called her.

"May?"

She turned around and looked at the trainer. "Yeah, Ash?"

Ash smiled. "My clothes might look ridiculous, but your outfit looks good…orange and green go great with you."

May blushed slightly and turned her head away from him, so he would not see. "T-Thanks, Ash…" She stuttered. "E-Eevee deserves the credit, though—she picked out the outfit…"

"I'll tell her when I see her," Ash paused for a moment. "But only you can model an outfit like that, just so you know…"

May's face flushed deeply red when he finished. "I-I better head downstairs to see if, um, your mom needs help with anything…I-I'll see at dinner, okay?" Before Ash could reply, she already closed the door.

Ash's smile disappeared and he sighed loudly. _"I knew she'd get flustered, but I had to tell her…I remember she scolded me at Brock and Lucy's wedding for not commenting on her outfits. I say she looks beautiful in the dress, and do I get a compliment? No, I get a talk about how I was really dense when I was younger to see that she always dressed nicely…well, it's not going to happen this time,"_ He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. _"Well…judging by what's happened today, it looks like a lot of things aren't going to happen this time…"_ He thought as he took off his large sweater. He was wearing his fitted, black shirt with a lightning bolt in the middle, but there were plenty of holes through it after all the training which was what frightened trainers. _"Can't use this one anymore,"_ Ash took off his shirt, revealing his well-physique upper body and threw the ripped cloth into the trashcan under his desk. He briefly looked at all the gym badges and trophies on the shelf and smiled. _"There's a lot more badges missing…and Z-crystals that I still need to obtain,"_ Ash sighed again. _"Crap, I have to go through the Alola Region again…what a weird time that was for me…"_ He finally gathered fresh, new clothes and a clean towel before heading off to the restroom to take a shower. _"Maybe I could wash all my problems away…"_

XxXxXxX

"You can start eating if you want, May," Delia said.

"No, it's okay," The young brunette replied. "I can wait for Ash."

At the moment, Mrs. Ketchum and May were sitting at the table. Delia had finished preparing the meal five minutes ago, and Ash still had not come down the stairs yet. Everything was ready on the table for dinner; everyone had a plate full of food served, so they were just waiting for Ash. Well, except for Pikachu who was eating his Pokémon food off to the side of the table. And so the yellow mouse would not feel lonely, May sent out her Eevee to eat with him.

"Sorry it took me a while, but I really enjoyed the shower I was taking," Ash said as he took his seat at the kitchen table. He noticed the two women in front of him were staring at him with their eyes wide and mouths opened in a shocking manner. "What?" He asked. He quickly scanned himself and touched his hair. "Did I get something on my shirt, or is there still shampoo on head?" He didn't get any response. "Come on, you have to give me some kind of hint…"

"Well," Delia said finally regaining her focus. "I guess we just didn't know you were so strong, Ash. You didn't look like that before you left. I mean, your shirt barely fits you," She referred to his shirt that did not have holes in it. "We were just surprised, that's all. Weren't we, May…May?"

The Hoenn native was still staring blankly at Ash. She could not believe the skinny person she said goodbye to few months ago look so—different. May just stared at the trainer's arms which were "popping out" of his shirt as she thought.

Ash realized what his mom was saying and spoke. "Oh yeah, I decided to really train with my Pokémon the past three months, so I could be as strong as them in a way," He explained. He then turned to May and grabbed her by the shoulder. Ash slightly shook her. "May…May?"

May snapped out her trance and blushed furiously. "O-Oh, w-was I spacing out?"

Ash could not help but smile. "No, not really," He replied. "You were just really focused."

This caused Delia to giggle. "How about we eat before the food gets cold, huh?" She recommended.

"Great, because I'm starving!" Ash stated.

With that the trio began to eat their dinner happily. However, May would occasionally glance at Ash.

 _"_ _Stop looking at him, May,"_ The young brunette kept thinking to herself. _"It's just Ash…"_ She turned and saw Ash smiling at her. After a few seconds, May sweetly smiled back. _"Yeah…it's just Ash."_

 **Alright, that's it for this chapter! I will be starting the next one in a few days, but I wanted to give you all an early Christmas present—at least for those of you who celebrate it. If you don't, then just know that I wanted to upload a chapter for you guys before December 25** **th** **.**

 **Anyways, what did you all think? I hope you all are enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it. And please R &R because it really does encourage and motivate me to get these chapters up faster. I actually did not think I would put this up so soon, but all your feedback aspired me to finish it.**

 **See you all next time!**

 **-Redhood06**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Pokémon or any of its characters.**

 **I can't tell you all how happy I am because of all the reviews and feedback I've gotten on this story. This story has 100 plus reviews! I never would have expected it. Yes, I read every single comment I get and really take every opinion into account. I hope you all continue to review because I love reading what you all think.**

 **Fanficfanatic88: Wow…I can't say you're right, but I can't say you're wrong either. Good guess, though.**

 **Alright, without anything else to say, please enjoy.**

 **Please R &R in the end.**

 **Chapter 8**

After eating dinner, everybody decided it would be best to go to their respective rooms and get some sleep. It was decided that May would occupy the guest room until she and Ash left for the Sinnoh Region. At the moment, Ash was pacing back-and-forth in his room in the dark thinking about the _unfortunate events_ that happened this afternoon while Pikachu was watching him from the bed.

"Did I totally mess this up, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu pi pika, Pikapi."

"I know I said wasn't going to worry about changes anymore—I mean Celebi reassured us that it was okay to but…" Ash paused before he continued. "But I wasn't expecting this to happen. I wasn't expecting May to come to Pallet Town; nor was I expecting her to ask me if we could travel together through the Sinnoh Region! I-I…" He stopped pacing and ran his hands through his hair. "I didn't plan for anything like this; I wasn't prepared for this…what else could go wrong?"

Pikachu jumped off the bed and patted the trainer on the leg trying to comfort him.

"Pikapi, pika pika kapi chu…"

Ash looked down sternly at the mouse. "You're right…this isn't what I really should be worried about, huh?" The trainer walked over to the bed, sat down, and slumped. "I should be worried about May. I don't how this will affect her coordinating career and her future actions. Not to mention, I see the way she looks at me; it's kinda…awkward?" Ash said unsurely, thinking that was the appropriate word. "But it's my fault, though. I keep saying the 'right' things when I should be saying the 'wrong' things to her—at least not to draw that kind of affection from her. Do you understand what I'm trying to say, buddy?"

Pikachu shook his head.

"Yeah, you do," Ash smiled. "You just want me to spell it out for you."

Pikachu smiled while he shrugged.

Ash chuckled. "Well, I'm not going to this time," He got comfortable under the blankets of his bed and closed his eyes. "Let's get some rest, buddy. I'll try to stop dwelling on stuff like this. Who knows what will happen in Sinnoh this time around…"

Pikachu curled up in a ball next to Ash and closed his eyes as well.

XxXxXxX

The next morning came quickly for the residents in Pallet Town—specifically for May. She had been awoken abruptly after hearing the Dodrio cry its morning call. She thought it was a threat at first, but she realized after a few seconds it was just an alarm and nothing to be worried about. May slowly got up from the bed and prepared herself for the day. After ten minutes of getting dressed into her orange outfit and washing up, she walked out of the room and down the stairs briskly. She could smell something delicious through the air.

May sniffed and smiled as she walked into the kitchen. "Wow, that smells delicious, Mrs. Ketchum!"

"Thank you, May!" Delia appreciated. "I made a big breakfast for everybody, so I hope you're hungry."

"I can't wait," May responded dreamily, mesmerized by the food. She then looked around for Ash but did not see him around. "Um, is Ash up yet?"

"Yes, he's out in the garden helping Mimey!" Delia said happily. "I was surprised when he offered to help outside because he never liked doing it, but he insisted. But you can go bring him inside if you want—breakfast is ready, anyways. Tell him to come inside, so we can all eat together, okay?"

"O-Okay," May slowly walked out of the kitchen and towards the front door. _"Ash is gardening?"_ She thought as she reached the door and opened it. _"I would've never guessed he'd do something that wasn't about Pokémon or training—or Pokémon training…"_ She turned and surprisingly saw Ash was really gardening, and he seemed to be really enjoying it. "Ash!"

The trainer turned and smiled. "Good morning, May!" Ash stated as he sprinkled water over the plants. "I just finished, so I'm just watering before I go inside. Oh, and if my mom asks about Mr. Mime, tell her he went to Professor Oak's lab to drop off some herbs; he should be back in a few minutes."

"Okay, but I just came to tell you that breakfast is ready."

"Alright, I'll be in in a minute," stated Ash who was still focused on watering.

"I will," May turned and began walking back in the house when she suddenly stopped. She looked back at the raven-haired trainer and stared at him. She noticed he was wearing the overly sized sweater he had on yesterday. In a way, May was relieved and disappointed that he was wearing it covering himself, but she understood why he wore it. "Ash…" She said, almost in a whispered-tone.

"Yeah, May?" Ash responded.

May's eyes widened as he replied. _"How could he have heard me?!"_ She thought to herself. _"Oh man, I don't want him to think I just whisper his name at random for no reason! Think, May, think…"_ The brunette was trying to think of something quickly. "Oh, um, d-do you maybe want to have a Pokémon battle after we finish, you know, eating?"

"Yeah, sounds fun," Ash gladly accepted. "I think we'd have to battle at Professor Oak's lab, though. There's a lot more space, and I'd like to see some of my other Pokémon while we're there. Is that alright?"

"Of course," May exclaimed. _"Nice cover up, May…"_

"Okay, then I'll go inside in a minute, so we can eat and head out."

"Don't take so long because I'm getting hungry."

Ash smirked. "I won't because I'm getting pretty hungry, too," he replied. "Oh, and would you wake up Pikachu for me? I let him sleep in, but I think it's time he wakes up."

May nodded and ran back inside the house.

Ten minutes after May finished talking to Ash, everyone was sitting at the table eating breakfast. Delia had prepared two stacks of pancakes each for Ash and May. There were also a couple of plates with toast, bacon, and sausages for everyone. Delia had made herself a lot less pancakes than the teenagers were eating because she was not as hungry; nor would she ever be the more she thought about it.

Delia watched in amazement as Ash and May devoured their pancakes as if they were mere appetizers. _"I hope I made enough at least for breakfast,"_ Mrs. Ketchum thought and smiled. _"Ooh, I'm going to be cooking a lot for the next month."_

"Ahh, that was delicious, mom," Ash stated as he finished his last bite.

"Yeah, Mrs. Ketchum," May added. "I think you could rival my mom and Brock when it comes to making the best meals I've ever had!"

"Thank you, dear," Delia replied graciously. "I try to do my best. So, what are you both going to do today?"

"We're going to Professor Oak's lab for a while," Ash spoke up. "We'll be over there for a few hours if that's okay."

"Sure, it is, honey!"

"Great," Ash stood up from his seat and looked at May. "I'm going to go change, and we'll leave whenever you're ready, May."

"I'm ready right now."

"Alright, I'll change, and we'll head out."

XxXxXxX

Ash—with Pikachu on his shoulder—and May had quickly left the house and headed towards the lab, so they could have their practice battle and see Ash's Pokémon. Ash, basically, just changed his top. He was now wearing a fitted black shirt with a red lightning bolt in the center with the same jeans and shoes he used to garden. He told May he did not really get dirty when he was working outside, so he just changed his sweater.

The was a bright sunshine shining down, a clear, blue sky with a few clouds floating around, and a nice breeze flowing through the air as the duo walked. And just like the sky was quiet, so were Ash and May—mainly because May was looking away trying not to stare at Ash's physique while Ash tried to figure out how to overcome this small obstacle.

After a few minutes of thinking, Ash sighed. He knew she would have to get over her staring situation on her own, so the only thing he could do was act like nothing was odd. Ash took a deep breath and spoke up. "May?"

"Yeah?" May turned to face him. Her cheeks were a visibly pinkish color.

 _"_ _This going to be hard to ignore…I must've been really focused on Pokémon not to notice people's feelings before,"_ Ash thought. "Um, what Pokémon did you bring with you? I know you brought Eevee because she was eating dinner last night with Pikachu, but did you bring anybody else?"

"I have Blaziken and Munchlax, too," May stated. Again, she looked away from the trainer.

Ash sighed once more. _"I can't wait to meet up with Brock again..."_

XxXxXxX

About five minutes later, they reached the facility's doorstep and May rang the doorbell. The door opened and revealed Tracey Sketchit. He still wore his orange headband and a green shirt with some red shorts. The Pokémon Watcher smiled when he saw whom it was.

"Hi, May! I didn't know you were here in Kanto," Tracey stated. He looked passed her and towards the trainer behind her. "Whoa, Ash! Is that you?"

Ash smiled. "Yeah, it's me, Tracey."

"You've really…grown!"

"Well, I'm gonna have a battle with May if you really want to how much I've grown as a trainer," The raven-haired teen densely responded.

Tracey and May both sighed in disappointment.

"I meant _you_ specifically, Ash," Tracey distinguished. "As in you've got muscles to show for."

"Oh…I guess I have, huh? Sorry, I guess I miss understood what you said," Ash lied as he rubbed his head sheepishly and chuckled. _"It's going to get harder to keep this 'dense' charade up."_ He stopped laughing before he continued. "Anyways, we were wondering if we could have a practice battle in the fields. Is that alright, Tracey?"

"Yeah, just head out there. I'll tell the Professor you're here with May."

Ash smiled. "Okay, let's go, May."

The duo walked through the laboratory and into the ranch. There were plenty of Pokémon stretched out for miles around the facility. Many different kinds of Kanto Pokémon were around the fields and lakes.

"May," Ash spoke up. "Why don't we have our battle over there?" he pointed to a nice grassy clearing in front of a large lake a few yards away. "It'll give us plenty of room to have our battle; what do you say?"

May looked at it and smiled. "It looks perfect. Let's head out there now!"

"How about I meet you over there, okay?"

May gave him a confused look. "Why can't we just go there together?"

"Well, I have to run a-"

"MWAARR!"

Pikachu quickly jumped off Ash's shoulder after hearing the loud noise. The mouse rapidly paced over to May's side.

Ash turned his head quickly and saw a herd of Tauros running in their direction. He did not bother finishing as he ran passed May and Pikachu in the opposite direction the Tauros were running. "I'll just meet you there!"

May looked on as Ash ran as fast as he could away from his Pokémon. She giggled as she knew that would be the kind of relationship Ash would have with his Pokémon. She grabbed Pikachu and began walking slowly to the clearing to wait for Ash. When they arrived to the location, she put down the yellow mouse and quickly scanned the area to get a feel for it. As the breeze picked up a little, she briefly closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Ah, I see your taking in the scenery…"

May opened her eyes and turned around to see Professor Oak, Tracey, and Gary walking up to her.

"I do the same every now and then to remind myself that I am extremely fortunate to work and live in such a place," Professor Oak continued his statement as he walked up to the brunette. "It's nice to see you again, May. How are you, Pikachu?"

"Pika," said Pikachu cheerfully.

May smiled brightly. "It's nice to see you, too, Professor," she replied happily. She looked passed the Professor and saw Gary standing behind him. "Hey, Gary! How have you been?"

"I'm fine," Gary replied nicely. "I've been helping gramps do some research. I actually just got back from the Power Plant close to Cerulean City; I was there for roughly three months studying the Electabuzz. I've been doing a lot research lately, so I've been less focused on Pokémon battling, but I still enjoy watching it. So, when I heard Ashy-boy was going to have a battle with you, I thought I'd might as well check it out. Where is he?"

"Oh, he was ru-"

"I'm right here," Ash cut off May before she could finish. He and Bulbasaur were walking up to the four individuals conversing. "My Tauros thought they'd say 'hi' to me, and…well, you all know how that turns out."

"Bulba!"

"Oh, yeah," Ash continued. "And Bulbasaur helped me out. If it wasn't for him, I'd probably still be running right now."

Pikachu ran over to the Grass-type and patted him on the back. "Pikachu!"

"Bulbasaur," the Kanto starter smiled and replied.

"So," Ash spoke up again. "How's everything, Professor?"

"Everything is great, Ash," the older man stated. He then quickly scanned the young trainer. "And I see you've been training yourself just as much as your Pokémon."

"Yeah," Gary added. "I actually didn't believe Tracey until I saw you right now."

"I've been getting that a lot lately…" Ash then turned to May. "Are you to ready to have our battle, May?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah," she put on a confident look and clenched her fist. "Let's get started!"

"Great," Ash turned to Oak's assistant. "Do you mind officiating the battle, Tracey?"

"No, I don't mind at all, Ash."

XxXxXxX

Professor Oak and Gary retreated so that Ash and May could have enough room for their battle. Once they were at a good distance, the two relatives waited for the battle to start.

Tracey waited for May and Ash to take their places on opposite sides of the field.

"Are you both ready?"

They both nodded.

"Alright," Tracey yelled. "This will be a one-on-one battle. Begin!"

"Go, Munchlax!" May said as she tossed her Poké ball in the air.

The Big Eater Pokémon appeared from the ball. He raised his hands in the air and smiled with his mouth wide open.

"Lax," Munchlax stated.

"Munchlax, huh," Ash said. He then tossed his Poké ball in the air. "Snivy, I choose you!"

The small, green Unova starter appeared on the field in front of Ash.

"Vy," Snivy said as she crossed her arms.

XxXxXxX

"I've never seen that Pokémon before, gramps," Gary told his grandpa as he stared at the Pokémon Ash sent out. "Do you know anything about it?"

"Just that Ash caught it two months ago in a region called Unova. He said it was the grass starter that the Unova Region offered to young trainers," Professor Oak informed. He then chuckled. "If you're surprised by this little one, then you should see the other Pokémon that he's caught recently."

Gary turned and stared sternly at Ash.

XxXxXxX

"Aww, when did you catch this cute, little Pokémon?"

Ash smirked. "I wouldn't take her looks for granted, May," he warned. "Snivy is just strong as most my other Pokémon."

Snivy closed her eyes and smiled confidently.

"You're right," May concluded as she regained her focus. "Munchlax, use Body Slam!"

"Lax!" the Normal-type yelled as he ran to Snivy.

When he was close enough, Munchlax jumped in the air to land the Body Slam at full force and weight. Just as he was about to collide, however, Ash made his move.

"Stop the Body Slam with your Vine Whip."

The Unova starter quickly used Vine Whip to intercept the attack. Snivy sustained Munchlax in the air tightly in the vines. She then hauled back her vines and fiercely slammed Munchlax against the ground. She released the vines and stepped back.

May gasped. "Munchlax!" she said. "Come on, you have to get up!"

The Normal-type slowly arose from ground; he took a lot of damage from Snivy's counterattack.

May smiled confidently. "Yes! Alright, use Metronome!"

Munchlax picked up his hands and began waving his fingers back and forth in a mesmerizing rhythm. After a few seconds of waving, he finished and excitedly raised his hands in the air, which caused a bright flash that blinded everyone. When the flash disappeared, everyone noticed that Munchlax was gone, too.

"Where'd he go?" May looked around for her Pokémon.

Ash stayed focused. "Stay alert, Snivy," he stated. "Munchlax could be anywhere…even underground."

Snivy looked around the field to see any movement on the surface, but did not notice any strange variations.

All of a sudden, a faint sound could be heard getting louder and closer.

Ash looked up and saw Munchlax falling at incredible speed. "Snivy, look out!" However, it was too late as the falling Pokémon was too close for Snivy to dodge.

"Munchlaaax!" Munchlax yelled before he stomped and crashed onto Snivy in a direct hit.

XxXxXxX

"Fascinating," Professor Oak exclaimed. "It's seems like the Metronome resulted in Bounce. My, I must say that is extremely fortunate for May…"

"You're right, grandpa," Gary added as he smirked. "Considering that Snivy is a Grass-type, it was the perfect move for May in this battle. I'd say this match is about even right now."

"Well, we'll have to wait and see…"

XxXxXxX

"Good call with the Metronome, May," Ash admitted. He saw Snivy get up and shake off the pain. "I completely forgot about the possibility of Bounce."

"I, honestly, didn't know what was happening," May stated sheepishly. She then clenched her fist and smiled confidently. "But, I'll take it if it's going to help me win this match."

Ash grinned. "We'll see," he replied. _"I know she's going to use Metronome again, but I have to wait to see the attack it'll be. From there I can counter it and finish the match by using their momentum. I don't want to end this with one of Snivy's moves. I don't think it's wise to show them how strong my Pokémon have gotten—at least not yet."_

"Alright, let's get lucky again!" May yelled. "Use Metronome once more!"

 _"_ _Here it comes,"_ Ash thought. "Get ready…"

Snivy took a solid fighting stance and focused on her opponent.

Munchlax grinned cockily as he picked up his hands and began waving its fingers from left to right to begin the move. He was taking longer this time causing everyone to hold their breath—waiting and anticipating a powerful move. Suddenly, Munchlax started waving his fingers faster notifying everybody that he was almost finished.

"Now, Munchlax!" May ordered.

With that, Munchlax immediately stopped waving his fingers and raise his hands, which caused an extremely bright flash to cover the field. Everyone, including Ash and Snivy who were trying to stay vigilant and see the move, covered their eyes. After a few seconds, the bright flash disappeared.

Ash quickly regained his concentration to see what Munchlax had conjured with the Metronome. To the trainer's surprise, though, the little, chubby Pokémon was still in the same position—in fact, Munchlax was not moving at all.

May looked at her Pokémon in a confused, but concerning way. "Um…Munchlax?"

Munchlax was staring with his eyes wide open and a large grin on his face to Snivy. Suddenly, and surprisingly, he fell face-forward onto the nicely-cut grass.

"Munchlax!" May ran over to her Pokémon as quickly as she could. She reached her fallen friend, bent down, and turned his body around to see his face. "Munchlax, are you—what?"

By this time, Ash, Gary, Professor Oak, and Tracey had arrived next to them and saw what happened to the fallen Pokémon. He was on the ground with his eyes closed and a nose bubble growing bigger and smaller with every breath he took.

"Well, that's an unfortunate turn-of-events," Professor Oak stated. "It seems as though the Metronome resulted in Rest."

May looked at Munchlax with a shocked expression. _"Really?!"_ she thought in disbelief as she continued staring her Pokémon sleeping peacefully. _"Out of all the moves you could have used, it just had to be Rest…really?!"_

Professor Oak cleared his throat before he continued. "Yes, well, I don't Munchlax will waking up any time soon. Unless, May," he told the coordinator. "Do you have a food with you that he especially likes to eat?"

May slumped. "No, I haven't had a chance to make my special 'May's Pink Surprise' since I arrived…"

There was a brief silence before Tracey spoke up.

"I think we should call it draw for now, then."

"Tracey is right," Ash interjected. "It's best if we call it for now. Besides, it was just a practice battle to see how we've been doing since we separated a few months ago, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Ash," May agreed. She looked to his Snivy who seemed to be talking to Pikachu and Bulbasaur as if the small Pokémon had not taken super effective damage during the battle—or battled at all for that matter. _"His Pokémon is much stronger than he made it out to be…"_ May recalled Snivy viciously throwing Munchlax onto the ground with the Vine Whip attack. She turned back and stared at Ash who was talking to Professor Oak, Gary, and Tracey. She thought of him disappearing for three months without telling anyone, including his mom, was very suspicious. _"What are you up to, Ash?"_

"How about we go inside the lab and relax, huh," Professor Oak asked loudly, so everyone would hear. "We could even have lunch."

Everyone agreed and began walking towards the lab. They walked a few feet when Gary stopped.

"Hold it."

Everybody turned around and eyed Gary curiously.

"Let's have a battle, Ash."

Ash's curious expression changed to a grin. "I was waiting for you to ask. I have to say it took you a little longer than I expected."

"You knew he was going to ask you?" May asked suspiciously.

"Somewhat…I kinda had a hunch he was," Ash answered her before turning back to his old rival. "So, do you want to do this now?"

"Yeah."

"Alright," Ash once again asked Tracey to be the officiator of the battle to which the assistant gladly accepted. He turned to May and Professor Oak. "I think this is a good place for you both to watch. This one could be a little messier than the first battle. Let's go, Pikachu," Ash called as he began walking back to take his place for the battle. Pikachu jumped on his shoulder.

May somewhat argued, but Oak convinced her that Ash made a very valid point. After a few seconds, she reluctantly agreed and stayed behind with the older man to wait for the match to begin.

Tracey had taken his place as referee again and waited Ash and Gary to arrive in their respective locations.

"Don't do it, Ash," Gary yelled as he readied himself.

"What?"

"You know what I mean…"

Ash smirked as he looked down at Pikachu who just jumped off him. "What do you think, buddy?"

Pikachu just shrugged. "Pi pika, Pikapi."

"If it's my choice, then I'm not going to," Ash looked back towards Gary. "Okay, Gary. You're on."

XxXxXxX

"What are they talking about?" May asked.

"Well," Professor Oak began. "If I have to speculate, I would say that Gary told Ash to go all out. I mean, Gary wouldn't want to face Ash if he wasn't going to give it his best."

"So, Ash was going easy on me?"

"No," Oak stated. "His Snivy was giving it her best to win the match. I'm sure you remember the way Snivy threw down your Munchlax—it was a fiercely executed move with a lot of power behind it; it is surprising to see such a small Pokémon with that amount of power. For Ash, it's no surprise to have such a Pokémon, and he was definitely giving it his all. Do not think otherwise because that's not Ash's battling style. I think Gary was just making sure, is all."

May saw Ash clench his fists causing his muscles to flex. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Professor…"

XxXxXxX

"This will be a one-on-one battle," Tracey yelled. "Are both trainers ready?"

They both nodded.

"Begin!"

"Go, Electivire!" Gary said as he threw his Poké ball in the air. Out came the strong looking Electric-type.

"Vire!" Electivire exclaimed as it hit its fists together causing sparks to appear.

"This is the main reason I went to the Power Plant," Gary explained in a loud voice so his grandpa and May could here. "There's a rare item called an electirizer that is loved by Electabuzz. I went there to study it and found out that it causes Electabuzz to evolve and well—it's pretty obvious what happened."

"Wow, I didn't expect you to have an Electivire, Gary," Ash lied convincingly. He remembered Pikachu battling Electivire before. "It's pretty impressive…but, I've got a match for it if you're ready."

"Bring it, Ash."

"Go, Goodra!" Ash threw his Poké ball in the air and out came the strong, enormous Dragon-type.

"Draa!" Goodra roared violently. However, as loud as it sounded and big it appeared, it looked like a nice Pokémon with its innocent face, light purple color skin, and slimy body.

"What is that?" Gary took out his Pokédex to see if he can get some information on the mysterious Pokémon.

"Data unavailable," the machine stated.

Gary gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. _"How am I supposed to get the upper hand on a Pokémon I've never seen before?"_ he thought angrily.

"Ready when you are," Ash said.

"Alright, Electivire use Thunderbolt!"

"Electivire!" said the Electric-type as it picked its tail up and emitted the powerful move to its opponent.

"Use Ice Beam to counter!"

"Goo!" Goodra quickly fired an Ice Beam to intercept the Thunderbolt.

The ice move rapidly raced to meet the attack halfway, colliding and causing a massive explosion on the field.

"Ahhh!" Gary said covering his eyes from the smoke.

"Dragon Pulse!"

"Ra!" Goodra fired the intense ray towards a still-flustered Electivire.

"Dragon wha-" Gary did not bother finishing as he saw the strong attack approaching rapidly. "Quick, use Protect!"

Electivire swiftly put up its arms causing a green shield to surround him. The Dragon Pulse collided with the shield and extinguished the defensive move from the field.

 _"_ _That was close,"_ Gary thought frustratingly. He noticed Electivire was taking in deep breaths as if it was extremely exhausted. _"That was just one move and Electivire looks like it has been battling for hours when we just started. This 'Goodra' isn't something to take lightly…I can't risk using Protect again, so I have to attack!"_ Gary smiled. "Alright, it's my turn! Electivire, get in close and use Iron Tail!"

The Electric-type took in a deep breath and leapt forward to charge Goodra. When it was a few inches away, Electivire spun and whipped the Iron tail against Goodra's face. The attack collided brutally, causing a sound wave to echo across the ranch. Electivire smiled as its tale was still on the Dragon-type's face. However, its smile disappeared as Goodra slowly turned its head with the full force of Electivire's tail still attached to it.

Gary's initial smile after the Iron Tail landed, turned to an expression of panic. "Don't let it recover! Use Thunder Punch repeatedly!"

Electivire lifted its tail from Goodra's face and quickly encased its fists with thunder to attack. The yellow Pokémon began colliding punches with Goodra's body and face. It rapidly increased the speed as it continued attacking.

Gary smirked. "I have you on the ropes now, Ashy-boy!"

Ash grinned back. "I actually just won…"

"Your Pokémon is tough—I'll give you that—but don't get too cocky," Gary commented. "A few more Thunder Punch attacks, and it's over for you."

Ash's grin widened. "It seems like you haven't been paying attention—look."

Gary noticed that a red aura was surrounding Goodra and that it was getting brighter with each Thunder Punch that collided. "What's going on? I didn't hear you call an attack!"

"You're right. I haven't…yet," Ash said. He allowed Goodra to take a few more hits before he continued. "Alright, I gave you your chance, Gary, so now it's my turn—grab it!"

Suddenly, Goodra grabbed one of Electivire's arms with its large ears. The dragon then lifted Electivire up and slammed it ferociously against the ground.

"Now, unleash your Bide attack!"

Gary's eyes widened. "Use Protect!" he said panicky.

Electivire briskly put up the shield as he waited for the Bide. As it waited, the field began to shake tremendously as Goodra powered up.

"Goodraa!" Goodra unleashed the attack directly on Electivire. The Bide destroyed the Protect with ease and continued to its target causing an explosion and the Electric-type to scream out in pain.

"Electivire, no!" Gary yelled worriedly.

When the dust from the explosion cleared up, everyone could see Goodra standing over the fainted Electivire.

"Electivire is unable to battle!" Tracey confirmed. "The winner is Ash and his Goodra!"

Gary ran over to check on his fallen partner.

Ash, however, walked over to the Kalos Pokémon and patted its shoulder.

"Great job, buddy," he said. "You deserve a nice rest."

Goodra smiled as Ash returned it in the Poké ball.

By this time, everyone else was around Gary and Electivire. Professor Oak checked the fainted Pokémon and declared nothing serious was wrong.

"It just needs a lot of rest, is all," the elder man concluded.

Gary sighed in relief and returned it back in its Poké ball.

"That was a good battle, Gary," Ash said as he extended his hand to the other trainer. "Your Electivire is one strong opponent."

Gary grinned as he accepted Ash's handshake. "I'll say the same about your Goodra," Gary brought his hand back and crossed his arms. "You know, if I knew more about it, I'm pretty sure the results would've been different. Don't you think?"

Ash shrugged. "Maybe, but we'll never know now…"

There was a small silence before Tracey spoke up.

"How 'bout I make us some sandwiches for lunch, huh? I'm sure everybody's pretty hungry, now."

"That sounds excellent, Tracey," Professor Oak added. "Let's head back to the lab, so we could have a nice lunch."

"Yeah, that sounds wonderful," May added. "I'm ready to-"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor; I just remembered right now that my mom wants May and I to eat at home," Ash interrupted. He turned and saw May was giving him a curious look. "I forgot to tell you that my mom was going to make your favorite foods today. I don't think she'd forgive me if I took you home well-fed, right?"

May stared softly at him. "She didn't tell me anything in the morning…"

Ash scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Well, she kinda wanted it to be a surprise, but—surprise!"

Suddenly, May smiled brightly, grabbed Ash by the hand, and began running towards the lab to make their way home. "Thanks for the offer, guys, but we gotta get home!" she yelled as she dragged Ash across the grassy land. "Bye!"

Pikachu saw they were moving fast and said his 'goodbyes' to everyone before running to catch up to them.

"May, we can slow down if you want," Ash pleaded desperately. As big and strong as he was, the trainer was starting to feel pain in his wrist from May's grip. "It'll take us fifteen minutes at most to get-"

"No time to argue, Ash!" May said fiercely. "Your mom is probably waiting for us right now with a plate of ramen in her hands."

Ash thought about it for a moment. "You know what? I don't doubt that she is…"

"So, let's go, then!"

 **That's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. I made this one a little longer than usual because I'm about to start my semester, so I'm going to be even more occupied than I usually am. I will try to work on the next chapter as soon as I can, so bear with me, please.**

 **I have been getting a lot PMs about when they should expect the next chapter to be up, and, honestly, I don't really know. I was actually going to post this one later, but decided to do it now because of all the reviews. Just please understand that I** ** _really_** **am busy and that I am trying to get the chapter out as soon as I can.**

 **With all that being said, what did you all think of this chapter? I really tried my hardest to make the battle scenes very detailed and visually appealing. Tell me what you all think. Let me know if you like it, if you do not—I am always happy to hear what each of you think. And tell me what you all think of the small advanceshipping moments.**

 **Anyways, that's it. Please R &R! I was encouraged by all your opinions to post this one up sooner than I expected, so keep encouraging me!**

 **-Redhood06**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

 **Chapter 9**

"Ow, ow, ow! It really hurts, Ash!"

"Don't move, then," Ash stated as he examined her right foot. "It could be serious."

They had quickly left Professor Oak's lab to get back to Delia's house. May had been forcefully, and painfully, dragging Ash by the hand down the road on which they had come from, eager to get back and eat a delicious meal. They were practically running at the speed they were moving. However, May was not paying attention when she suddenly rolled her foot on a rock imbedded in the dirt path. She immediately let go of Ash, dropped to the floor in pain, and gripped her foot, complaining about the agony she was feeling. Ash had not reacted quick enough to catch May, but he quickly knelt to check her injury.

"Well," Ash began as he finished looking at her foot, "there's good news and bad news."

"It seems like there's only bad news to me—I'm feeling a lot of pain," May sobbed while she held her foot.

"The good news is you only twisted your ankle," Ash stated calmly, ignoring her statement. "The bad news is that you have to stay off of it for a few days. It could turn into something worse if you try pushing it."

"How do you know I twisted my ankle? And why did you take off my shoe?"

"I've hurt myself plenty of times like this to know what it is," he explained knowingly. "And I took off your shoe because your foot is going to swell pretty quickly…it's better to do it now than later."

May briefly closed her eyes and sighed in frustration. "Why do these things always happen to me?!" She practically yelled, mainly at herself. "Maybe I just have the worst luck in the world. Go ahead and say it, Ash. Say that it's my fault and that you were right and we should've taken it easy!"

"May, you know I wouldn't tell you anything like that. Besides, it could've happened to anybody. You just weren't paying attention, is all."

"Then why didn't it happened to you, huh?" May said with hint of anger.

Ash shrugged. "Well, for one you were walking ahead of me, so tripping on that rock was more likely gonna happen to you than me," he explained to her. "And two, maybe tripping on that rock was _meant_ to happen to either one of us. It just so happens that you took the fall—literally."

"What are talking about, Ash?" May stated confusingly but still angry. "You're not making any sense."

"Yeah," Ash continued. "Think about it—if it didn't happen to you, then it probably would've happened to me, right?"

May nodded slowly, trying to think where he was going with this.

"That means you saved me from that vicious rock and its plan to hurt me. So, instead of being frustrated and angry for getting injured, I think you should be happy because you saved me, May—you saved me, and _I_ should be saying thank you…"

May stared at him blankly for a few seconds before bursting into laughter at his ridiculous notion. The sudden outburst had startled Ash at first, but then he realized his plan to make her forget about the pain worked. And it was apparently so funny to the coordinator that Ash swore he could see tears forming in her eyes.

 _"_ _Was it really that funny?"_ Ash thought curiously. He glanced at Pikachu who looked just as confused about the girl's reaction as he was. _"Should I be worried?"_

After another minute of laughing, May was finally able to recollect herself and breathed in a deep breath while she wiped away a tear.

"That was a good one, Ash," she said in between giggles. The more she thought about it the more she found the urge to laugh. May put a hand on her chest and coughed to clear her throat. She smiled brightly and played along. "Okay…then you're welcome. I'm glad I could save you from that _vicious_ rock. And if it tried to do something else, I would gladly do it again just so you know."

Ash's lips formed into a grin. "I know, May," he said. "And just so _you_ know, I would've gladly fell for you, too."

She was going to reply when she realized what he said. "I—w-what did you say?" For some reason, she found herself nervous to ask the question. But, she wanted to know if she heard him correctly. _"Is he flirting with me, or is he just dense not to understand what he says?"_

 _"_ _You idiot!"_ Ash told himself. _"Do you not think before you speak?! For being an adult, mentally, I'm really stupid…"_ He quickly stood up and changed the subject. "Nothing…but as much I like sitting on the ground, I think we should get moving." He extended his hand to help her up.

"Y-Yeah," May shook off her thoughts quickly and replied. "It might take us a little while now that I can't really walk." She accepted Ash's extended hand to slowly help her stand. _"It's Ash I'm talking about. Of course he's not flirting—he probably doesn't even know what flirting is."_

"Well, that depends on you, May."

May stood and put most of her weight on her left leg. She then held onto Ash so that she would not lose her balance standing up. "You know I'm going to have to limp back with your support, right?" She finally answered. "That's definitely going to slow us down."

"Or," Ash suggested, "I could carry you back home. It would save us a lot of time and be easier on both of us…what do you think?"

The brunette's cheeks flushed visibly red from this remark. "Y-You want to c-carry me back?"

"Well, I could if you'd let me," he responded honestly. "We would get to the house a lot quicker like that."

"N-No!" May exclaimed rather quickly, which slightly startled Ash. "I-I'm fine walking back. I just need your support to take the pressure off my foot, you know…"

Ash sighed but agreed. "Okay, just put your arm around my shoulder, so we could get going."

After a few seconds of readjusting themselves, they began making the tread back to Delia's house. Ash and May were slowly strolling side by side while Pikachu walked ahead of them, scouting the route for any more harmful spots that could cause injury.

They had been walking for five minutes and had not gotten far. In fact, the most the trio had hiked was about sixty feet from where the accident occurred, as May was silently complaining of pain with every step.

 _"_ _At this rate, we won't get anywhere,"_ Ash concluded. He slowly glanced to his left and saw May cringe with every step they took. _"She's not gonna like this but…"_ He inhaled deeply and mentally and physically prepared himself for the struggle that was about to happen. "May?"

"Yeah?" She looked towards Ash and smiled, trying to mask the pain she was feeling. "Wha—Ash, what are you doing?!"

The trainer had suddenly put his right arm—which was holding her shoe—under May's legs and his left arm behind her back, so the coordinator would be safety supported in his arms.

"Relax," Ash insisted as she struggled to get down. "There's no need to be stubborn about this."

"Just put me down, Ash!"

She struggled for a few more seconds before the trainer spoke again.

"Look at me, May…"

She ignored his comment and continued to struggle.

"May," Ash said a little louder, but gently. "Look at me…"

May slowly stopped fighting and considered Ash's eyes—his clear, deep, brown eyes.

"It's okay," he continued softly. "I want to carry you back home—let me do this, please…"

A strong voice in May's head was telling her she should not let him do it, but a small voice was telling her to just go with it. She decided to go with the latter.

After a brief moment of gazing into Ash's eyes and hearing him speak, May steadily brought her hands around his neck, notifying him that she was okay with the idea.

Ash smiled. "Thank you," he said lowly. He then noticed her faced was a deep shade of red and pretended to be concerned. "Your face is a little red, May. Are you feeling okay?"

Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed even more as Ash pointed out her distinctions. "Uh, I-I'm fine, Ash," May reassured as she looked away from him. "It's probably just, um, this heat, maybe. Let's just get going, yeah…"

"If you say so," Ash responded. He started walking again and focused on the road as he resumed. "We should get to the house in a little bit—just relax and we'll be there in no time."

May looked up towards her friend—her best friend if she was honest with herself—as they progressed down the dirt path. Many thoughts were going through her mind. Many thoughts she knew were not okay to be thinking about.

 _"_ _Okay,"_ she started as she closed eyes, _"You should not be acting like this around Ash! This is the same way you felt after the Terracotta Contest, and you said it was just a small crush, which, by the way, you said was_ not _a big deal anymore when you were in Petalburg!"_ May argued with herself. _"I know I kept thinking about him while I was trying to decide where I'd go but this—I shouldn't be feeling like this about him…"_ She slowly opened her eyes and slowly shifted them towards her carrier. A small smile crossed her lips as she viewed him elegantly. _"But, why can't I…? Is it really bad to feel this way about him? I mean, he's helped me throughout my journey and career…"_ May closed her eyes once more and inhaled deeply. She then unconsciously snuggled into Ash's chest. _"Well, right now this feels comfortable and right, so I'll just take this moment in…maybe I can get some advice from my mom later without actually telling her that it's about Ash."_

Ash glanced down and saw May snuggle into his chest. _"Well, I might've just hurt our relationship,"_ he said before giving himself a curious expression. _"No, wait, I think I made it confusing to her. I hope she understands that I was just trying to help her."_ He thought about everything that he's been doing to May and realized it would not be likely for his last statement to be true. _"What am I supposed to do then?"_

XxXxXxX

They had finally arrived at the house ten minutes later without another incident occurring. Ash cautiously put May down to stand when they were next to the door. He opened it slowly and helped her inside so that she could sit down on the couch. Pikachu closed the door behind them.

"Ash, May, Pikachu! Are you all back?"

"Yeah, we're back, mom," Ash replied as he helped May lie down on the couch and elevate her injured foot under a pillow on the arm of the couch.

Delia walked into the living room. "I was about to call Professor Oak to—oh my, what happened?!" Her initial smile when she walked into the room disappeared as she viewed the scene.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Ketchum," May reassured, which did not work as she slightly winced in pain. "Ash says I just twisted my ankle."

Delia ran back into the kitchen and to the refrigerator. She grabbed an icepack and raced back to the two teens. She slowly placed the pack on May's leg to which the young brunette grimaced lightly from the coldness. "This should bring down the swelling, okay?"

May nodded.

"How did this happened?"

Ash sat down and explained the details of the accident to his mom. He began his story after the battle with Gary and continued up to where May hurt her ankle.

"And that's why we took a while to get back home," Ash finished.

May gave him a curious glance, noticing something was missing in his story. _"He didn't tell her that he carried me here…"_

Delia glanced carefully at May and then back at Ash. "Well," she began, "at least you're all back home now. It could've been a lot worse." She turned to May again and continued. "You're going to have to stay off your foot for a few days, okay, dear."

"Yes, Mrs. Ketchum," May agreed. "Ash told me the same thing when I first injured it."

"That's my Ash for you!"

This caused Ash to smile. "So now that we're here, do you want to give May her special meal?" He asked his mom. "I mean, it was the main reason why she got hurt in the first place—we were trying to get here as fast as we could. It's only fair she gets to eat, right?"

May was about to protest Ash's suggestion—feeling embarrassed and all—when Delia jumped from her seat.

"You're right, Ash!" Mrs. Ketchum turned to May. "You can even eat your food here, so you don't have to walk to the table!"

Again, May tried to protest. "Um, no, it's okay Mrs. Ketchum I—"

"No buts," the older brunette interrupted sternly. "I'm going to warm up the food and bring you a plate of ramen noodles. In fact, we'll all eat here so you won't be lonely." And before she could give May a chance to respond, Delia walked away into the kitchen.

May turned to Ash with a blank expression, not knowing how to interpret what just happened.

Ash merely shrugged. "What can I say? When my mom makes up her mind about something, nobody can really change it."

May snorted. "It's sounds like her son that I know too well…"

Ash playfully tossed her her shoe that he was still holding. It caught May by surprise that she didn't react quick enough to catch or block it from hitting her.

"Ow!" She said as she giggled. "You're lucky I'm hurt."

"That's why I taking advantage of right now," Ash replied slyly.

"You're going to be sorry when I get better," May warned playfully. "You won't even see it coming…"

"We'll see when that time comes."

Silence fell upon them as they waited for Delia to return with the food.

Ash suddenly stood and began walking into the kitchen. "I'm going to see if my mom wants any help with anything. You want something while I'm in the kitchen? Maybe something to drink?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she said as she sat up to watch him leave. "Hey, Ash?"

The trainer stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

"Why…why didn't you tell your mom that you carried me back?"

The look on her face told Ash that she seemed worried or nervous about something. He thought about it for a moment before he responded. "Well," he started, "it didn't seem like an important detail to talk about. But if you want, I could tell her right now while we're in the kitchen…it's no big deal."

"N-No," May found herself saying. "It's okay it's just—I don't know…I guess I thought you probably didn't want her to know, maybe…"

"It wasn't that," Ash reassured. "Like I said it wasn't really something that needed to be said. It could just be something between us, you know."

"Alright…"

Ash turned and continued walking into the kitchen.

May watched him leave before lying back down. _"Something between us, huh…"_ She softly smiled. _"Sounds nice…"_

Five minutes later, they were all eating the delicious meal in the living room, so May wouldn't have to walk to the kitchen table with her injured foot. May thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent ramen noodles that were made specifically for her—some of the best noodles if she admitted to herself. While they ate, Ash and May told Delia about their enlightening battle and the unexpected ending with Munchlax falling asleep. Delia could not help but feel sorry for the Pokémon.

"Maybe he was just tired from everything else that happened, and the Metronome understood his feelings."

Ash and May both had chuckled at her statement, but May ultimately agreed with the older Ketchum.

"Yeah, that sounds like my Munchlax…"

The evening approached rather quickly in Pallet Town that day. Delia informed May that the couch opened to become a bed, so the young brunette could sleep in the living room until her ankle healed.

Ash fixed everything for his friend, so his mom would not have to do anything. He grabbed the extra sheets and blankets from a closet in the hall and arranged them on the bed so that everything would be ready for May and she could just go to sleep.

Delia said goodnight to the two teens and Pikachu, and then retired for the night. Pikachu did the same a few minutes later and ran upstairs to Ash's room, leaving the Ash and May alone.

"You should get some rest, May," Ash stated after sitting in silence for a couple of minutes. "It was a pretty long day, and a lot things happened."

"You mean like me injuring my leg," May said blankly.

"Yeah…mostly that one." Ash made sure May's ankle was wrapped correctly before making his way up the stairs. He stopped halfway and turned to look at May who was making herself comfortable under the sheets. "Have a good night, May."

The brunette look towards the trainer and replied. "Goodnight, Ash…and thanks again for, you know, carrying me back…"

"No problem, May."

Ash continued up the stairs and into his room. He closed the door when he was inside and walked over to his bed tiredly.

Pikachu was already lying comfortably on his favorite spot on the mattress, peacefully with eyes shut to sleep. Ash patted his friend on the head before he spoke.

"I know you're not asleep, Pikachu."

The mouse slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the trainer. "Pika kapi pika pika."

"It doesn't matter if you look convincing because I can tell when you're sleeping and when you're not," Ash said knowingly. "Why were you pretending, anyways?"

"Pikachu chu pika."

"You listen better when your eyes are closed?"

Pikachu nodded.

"Okay…you've never mentioned anything like that before," Ash replied somewhat surprised at the statement. He then stood up and walked over to a dresser to get some nightclothes. He began to change into some shorts and a t-shirt as he continued. "Alright, I'll bite. What were you trying to listen to?"

Pikachu smiled as he explained. "Pikachu kapi chu pika pika."

"Why were you trying to listen in on me and May?"

Pikachu shrugged innocently.

Ash eyed the yellow mouse cautiously. "What are you—wait…do you think I'm flirting with May when I talk with her?" He said incredulously.

Again, Pikachu just shrugged at the allegation.

"Well, I'm not," Ash said a little loud as he walked back to the bed and sat down on the edge. "I mean, I-I guess I am but—but I don't mean to…it just slips out like that!"

Pikachu finally stood up from his position and paced slowly next to Ash. "Pikapi, pi pika kapi chu."

Ash sighed in defeat. "You're right," he replied softly. "It does seem that way—I can't deny it because it's the way I see it, too. And if we both notice it, then May is definitely seeing it like this, which can mean big trouble for our friendship moving forward…"

Pikachu watched Ash stare absentmindedly at the door, maybe subconsciously down the stairs to where the brunette was staying at the moment. The yellow mouse patted the trainer on the back and spoke once more. "Kapi pika ka pika, Pikapi?"

Ash whipped his head back to Pikachu confusingly. "What do you mean 'what am I afraid of'?"

Pikachu nodded once more. "Kapi pika ka pika?"

"Well…I guess I'm afraid of failing Celebi. I don't know if we're really on track with what we have to do…and the fact tha—"

"Pikapi," Pikachu interrupted.

"What?" Ash asked a little frustratingly. "You asked me what I'm afraid of, and I'm telling you."

The Electric-type shook his little head.

"Alright, then, what are you talking about? And stop with all the 'psyche stuff' because it's getting a little creepy."

"Pikapi, pi pika ka pika kapi pi kachu?"

Ash flinched slightly after hearing Pikachu's question. "Why am I afraid of loving May more than a friend?" He stated back. He saw Pikachu tilt his head slightly and decided to explain. "I know those weren't your exact words, but what you said wasn't all that appropriate."

Pikachu was about to argue but thought it would be pointless.

Ash pondered his answer for a moment before he finally replied. "I-I guess maybe because nothing happened like that in the future…I mean I kinda had those feelings about her at some point, but I didn't pursue them—and vice versa. May told me a few years later that she felt something similar for me at one point, but she didn't want to follow the feeling because she was afraid if it didn't work out that it'd hurt our friendship…so I guess that's why."

"Pikachu kapi chu pika pika."

"I know it's not the future anymore and things can change this time around but…I don't know."

"Pikapi," Pikachu started as he jumped off the bed, letting Ash know the conversation was getting serious. The Electric-type began to explain what he thought the trainer should do about the situation. It took about two minutes, but Pikachu thought he did the best he could to help Ash with this problem.

"So," Ash said as Pikachu finished, "you're saying that I should be open to the idea of dating May because the future we know doesn't exist anymore?"

Pikachu nodded.

"And it wouldn't be fair to May—or any other girl for that matter—because I'm not allowing change in my life?"

Pikachu nodded once more.

"And so, I should just 'let it happen' like you said."

Again, Pikachu nodded.

Ash sighed slowly and tiredly as he proposed his best friend's proposition. He thought about how simple it sounded, but how difficult it would actually be to do. There was a brief silence before any of the two spoke again. Ash was the one to break the silence.

"Alright," he began in low voice. "If it's meant to be, then I will let whatever relationship with May happen… but I won't specifically go chasing after her because it wouldn't be fair to her…I know too much about her that—well, she basically wouldn't not like me."

Pikachu thought it was a start.

"You're right, buddy," Ash concluded, finally understanding what Pikachu was trying to tell him. "I've been saying that I'm not afraid of making changes to the past, but I haven't really been doing anything to embrace it…" The trainer smiled brightly when Pikachu jumped back on the bed and patted his arm. "Thanks, Pikachu. Now, let's get some rest."

The duo got comfortable on the bed and quickly fell asleep. After the deep conversation they just had and everything else that happened today, Ash and Pikachu quickly fell asleep, not able to resist the urge to sleep any longer.

XxXxXxX

May slowly opened her eyes to the sunlight peering into the house through the window. She realized it was the only downside to sleeping in the living room. There was a large window where sunlight could pierce through and cover the entire room.

 _"_ _Ash must've forgot to close the curtains before he left last night,"_ she thought as she covered her head with the blanket, thinking it would help.

It didn't.

May groaned as she tossed the covers off. _"Might as well get up, then."_ She was going to slide her feet off the bed when she remembered her ankle. _"Oh right…I should probably take it easy."_

"Good morning, May!" Delia cheered when she walked into the room. "Did you sleep well? How's your leg?"

May had finished getting her feet onto the floor when she replied. "I'm doing okay, Mrs. Ketchum. My foot doesn't feel as bad as it did yesterday.

"That's good to hear, dear!"

May rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Ooh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Ketchum," she apologized for yawning in front of her. "I guess I'm still a little tired…"

Delia giggled at the younger brunette. "You can lay back down if you want, May. No one is going to bother you. I promise."

"Thank you, but I think it's time I get out of bed," she admitted as she stretched. "I have to get use to waking up early, anyways, since we're going to be leaving to Sinnoh pretty soon…I think today is a good day to start!"

Delia eyed May curiously as she giggled again. "Ash thought the same way when opened the curtains at nine o'clock."

 _"_ _So he did close the curtains last night,"_ May thought to herself. "Oh…I guess he was thinking like me. Well, nine is not bad if I say so myself."

"It's actually eleven o'clock, dear. Ash opened the curtains two hours."

"What?!" May exclaimed. She realized she yelled and quickly apologized before she continued. "So I've been asleep for an extra two hours," she said in a lower tone.

"Yes, and I was going to wake you, but you look so peaceful."

May covered her face in embarrassment. _"I overslept with the sun hitting my face. This could only happen to me…"_

"How about I make you breakfast?" Delia interrupted her thoughts. "Ash and I have already eaten, so I'll just sit with you to keep you company. How does that sound?"

 _"_ _I even missed breakfast!"_ May's stomach growled after hearing the suggestion. She smiled sheepishly. "That sounds great, Mrs. Ketchum."

Delia returned the smile and replied happily. "Give me ten minutes and it should be ready!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum." Delia headed towards the kitchen when May remembered something. "Oh, Mrs. Ketchum?"

"Yes?"

"May I use your phone to call my parents?" She asked politely. "I haven't had a chance to talk to them since I got here."

"Of course you can!" Delia pointed behind the bed-couch to the desk. "It's behind you whenever you want to use it." With that the older woman left the room.

May slowly stood up and began limping around the couch to use the phone. She thought about turning the monitor around, which would be easier to do, but dismissed the idea because she didn't want to feel lazy. _"I've already slept in,"_ she thought to herself. May used the bed for leverage as she slowly paced around. She reached the phone and dialed her house number, hoping her mom would be the one to answer. Unfortunately for her, the image that appeared on the screen was someone smaller and younger.

"Hello? This is the head of the house speaking, how may I help you?"

"Max!" May yelled at her brother. "What do you think you're doing answering the phone like that?!"

"May!" Max exclaimed happily, ignoring her statement. "How are ya? I thought you would've called two days ago when you got there. Oh, wait, did you just get there right now?"

"No, I—"

"Don't tell me you got lost again," he cut her off. "I told you to follow the road and it should've taken you to Ash's house."

"I didn't get lost I—"

"I knew you couldn't get around without me."

"Shut up, Max!" She yelled angrily. May could not contain herself anymore after the interruptions.

"Wow…" Max looked surprisingly at his sister. "Someone's in a bad mood today."

 _"_ _It's not worth it…it's not worth it."_ May closed her eyes briefly before looking back to her brother. "Is mom around?"

"Yeah, she's outside with your Beautifly," he concluded. "I think she's gonna go for a walk right now."

"Oh," May sounded disappointed. "I'll just call back later then."

"It's okay," Max said quickly, hinting on her sadness. "I'll go tell her you want to talk. I'll be right back."

She smiled slightly as she watched him put down the phone and quickly head outside. To her surprise, though, he returned a couple of seconds later and picked up the phone.

"Wait, is Ash there? Let me talk to him and you can talk to mom later."

"Max!"

"Alright, alright," he said. "But is he there right now?"

May shrugged honestly. "I think so…maybe be in the garden."

"Oh right…training for the next region."

May shook her head. "No, like he's actually gardening in the garden."

Max gave her a confusing look. "Really…?"

"Yeah, I'm not kidding."

He paused for a moment for continuing. "No," Max shook his head as he proceeded, "that can't be right. It has to be some type of special training he's hiding from you."

"I'll have to ask him about it when I get a chance, but I saw it with my own eyes," May responded. There was a small silence when she then remembered why she was on the phone. "Max, go get mom before she leaves!"

"Oh right," Max put the phone down and headed out.

A couple minutes passed by before an older-looking version of May appeared on the monitor.

"Hi, May," Caroline said. "How was the trip there? Did everything go well?"

May smiled brightly. "Yeah, mom, everything went fine."

"Great," Caroline stated in relief. "Max said you got there the day you left…how come you didn't call?"

May rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I kinda forgot with everything that was happening."

"Alright." Caroline appeared irritated but decided to let the subject go. "Well, as long as you're okay is all that matters."

 _"_ _Well, mostly…"_ May briskly glanced at her injured ankle before responding. "Yeah, I guess so!"

"So, Max said you wanted to talk about something…?"

"Y-Yeah, I was hoping you could help me with something." May stuttered, suddenly feeling nervous. "I'm having a hard time understanding what I'm feeling…"

Caroline smiled as she nodded knowingly. "Is this about Ash?"

May blushed slightly as her mom pointed it out. "Wha—h-how did you know?" She quickly looked towards the kitchen to see if Mrs. Ketchum was coming back. When she did not see any sign of the older woman, May focused her attention back to her mom.

"It was pretty obvious the way you talked about him when you were home," Caroline explained. "So, what are you having trouble with, honey?"

"I-I don't know if I should do anything about the way I feel…" May replied honestly, thinking there would be no use in trying to hide it from her mom now. She continued in a softer voice. "I don't want to do anything that'll hurt our friendship, but…but I don't know if I can keep my feelings from him going through a whole region…what should I do?"

Caroline stared at the confused and helpless look on her daughter's face. She thought about her response for a moment before finally agreeing it would be the best advice to give.

"May," she began, "I think you should do what feels right…I know that's probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but it's the best advice I can give you."

May looked disappointed, but nodded.

"Only you can determine your own feelings, honey," Caroline continued. "Only you can decide whether you're willing to try and tell Ash how you feel…"

The young brunette thought about her mom's reasoning and realized she was right.

 _"_ _Only I know how I'm really feeling…"_

"Oh, and May?" She disturbed her daughter's thoughts. "If you do decide to tell him, I suggest you tell him over time…let Ash open up to the idea that you can be more than a friend and to figure out what love is. He's just like your father when it comes to this type of stuff—he's pretty dense."

May giggled for the first time since starting the serious conversation. "Yeah, I know what you mean, mom. It can be hard trying to tell Ash something that's not about Pokémon or battling."

Caroline giggled in response. She calmed herself before speaking up again. "I'm sorry I wasn't much help, May."

"No, mom," May disagreed as she responded cheerfully. "You told me just want I needed to hear!"

"I'm glad…was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

May was about to tell her 'no' when she remembered something. "Oh, yeah. Have you heard the way Max has been answering the phone?"

Caroline nodded disapprovingly. "Yes…and I told your dad about it, but he just laughs. He said he called the house one day from the gym, which you know just has the phone, and Max answered that way and thought he called the wrong number."

May rubbed her head in embarrassment. "That sounds like dad." Again, there was brief silence before May decided it was time to say goodbye to mom. "Okay, mom, I think—"

She stopped as the front door opened, revealing the person she and her mom were just talking about.

"Mornin', May" Ash said with Pikachu on his shoulder as he closed the door behind him. "How are you—Mrs. Maple? Is that you?"

Caroline's face on the monitor showed a look of utter shock. Ash's muscular physique completely surprised the woman. That could not be the boy she saw a while back, right? The shirt this _man_ was wearing barely fit him. She recollected herself and responded.

"Um, yes, it's me, Ash," she managed to say. She speedily glanced at May before looking back at Ash. "I can't believe that's you, though. It seems like you've grown since the last time I saw you."

"I've been getting that a lot lately." He turned to May before continuing. "I'll put everything away, so you don't have to do anything, alright?"

May simply nodded and thanked him.

"Alright," Ash stated as he turned his attention back to Caroline. "I'll leave two alone, Mrs. Maple. It was nice to see you, and please tell Norman and Max I said 'hello'."

"I will, Ash," she said happily. "Take care!"

Ash left with Pikachu to let his mom know he was home before he started to put everything away.

May profoundly watched Ash leave before turning back to her mom, who was smiling slyly.

"What?" Was all May could say.

Caroline laughed at her daughter's response. It took her a moment to calm herself and speak.

"Remember what I said, May," she concluded, still grinning. "I will talk to you later, alright?"

"Okay, mom!"

"I love you, honey!"

"I love you, too!"

May finally hung up the phone and limped back around the desk. She decided to sit on the couch that didn't open, so she wouldn't have to get up when Ash wanted to put everything back.

Ash returned holding a plate of food in his hands.

"Here you go, May," Ash said as he gave her the plate of food. "My mom didn't want you to bother walking to the table again, so she had me bring it here." He then proceeded to put the mattress away and fix the couch.

"Thanks, Ash," May said as she began to eat. "So, were you out in the garden again?"

"No, I went to Professor Oak's lab for a while."

"You should've woken me up," she said, somewhat disappointed she didn't go with him. "I would've gone with you."

"Really…with your hurt ankle?"

"Oh, right…"

"Besides," Ash stated as he put the cushions on. "I just went to give the Professor Snivy's Poké ball. I forgot to leave when we rushed out of there."

May winced as she remembered how badly she was dragging him. "Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize. It gave me a reason to go see my Pokémon today." He sat down as he finished. The sheets and blankets folded neatly next to him. "I don't plan on going back until we set out for Sinnoh."

"You mean you're not going to train for a whole month?"

Ash nodded. "I think I've trained enough for now…and I promised my mom I'd relax for before we left."

May continued to eat as silence fell upon them.

"Where's your mom and Pikachu?" She asked as she finished her last bite.

"There outside in the garden with Mr. Mime," Ash said. "Pikachu felt bad for sleeping in yesterday and decided to help them today."

"I been meaning to ask you about that, Ash," May inquired. "Why and when did you start gardening?"

Ash shrugged. "My mom told me to try it one day to relax and clear my mind, and it worked. I've never stopped since that day."

"But your mom said you didn't enjoy doing it…?" She questioned.

Once again, Ash shrugged. "I can change, can I?"

May relaxed in the couch and thought deeply about his comment. "True…you can change."

"We're gonna want to relax these next few weeks, too," he said as he got comfortable on his couch. "The Sinnoh Region isn't going to give us time to relax like this."

"What do you think is going to happen in Sinnoh, Ash?"

Ash viewed her expression and could tell she was waiting to hear a specific response. He merely smiled and replied. "A lot of surprising things, May."

 **Alright, that's it for this chapter. Sorry this came out a little later than you all expected, but I'm hoping this will make it up for now. I would explain why, but I'm pretty sure you all understand already.**

 **In the next chapter, yes, they will be heading out to Sinnoh. I have taken in all of your suggestions and will use a considerable amount of them in this story—with my own twist that is. I have to say I'm pretty excited to see the outcome.**

 **Thank you, and I'll see you all next time.**

 **-RedHood06**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Ash and May were slowly making their way to the port to get a ride to Twinleaf Town, the first town of the Sinnoh Region. Pikachu was riding on Ash's shoulder as they walked down the clear, dirt path away from Pallet Town. May was slightly leading the way, eager to start the new journey with her friends.

It took a few days after the incident for May's leg to properly heal and for her to walk without feeling any pain. And even though she could travel again, the teens mostly spent their time with Delia at the house. There were days where Ash invited his mom and May to a late-night walk, but he didn't ask too often. As he promised, he wanted to spend as much time with his mom before he left.

May enjoyed every moment she spent with Ash and Mrs. Ketchum. She thought it would be something she could get used to if her friendship with Ash ever changed to something else. Her face would blush at the occurring thought, so she would try focusing on coordinating to regain her composure. She told herself she was not enamored with Ash, just really loved the idea of she and Ash becoming more than friends, which May believed to be different meanings. This idea, though, and coordinating were the reasons she was very eager to get to the Sinnoh Region.

"Hurry up, you guys!"

"We could've spent more time with my mom before we left, you know?" Ash told the brunette as they walked. She was practically dragging him to port with the way she was hurrying him. "We still had plenty of time before we had to leave—we still do!"

May pouted. "Since when are you so laid back to get to another region with _new_ badges and Pokémon. Besides, your mom was already getting tired of us."

"I didn't hear her complain…"

"Of course she's not going to tell you, Ash—you're her son," she said before focusing on the path again. She clasped her hands together in anticipation and stared at the clear sky. "Ooh, I can't wait to register for the Pokémon Contests and start my training to win the Grand Festival there!"

Ash merely sighed. He knew there was no point in arguing now as they were only a few minutes away from the port.

"So…you're going to be dressed like that the entire trip?" May said, changing the subject.

"Huh?" Ash quickly glanced at his clothes before looking up to May. She was probably referring to his nicely fitted black shirt with a large, yellow thunderbolt in the middle and not his blue jeans, hat, or trainers. "Mostly," he replied. "I did buy a jacket that I'll use when we head north—it tends to snow up there."

"Oh," May said lowly. She was glad and disappointed to know he would be staying like that. Glad that she would get to see his _aspects,_ as she put it, but disappointed that every other girl would, too.

Ash noticed her expression and decided to cheer her up. "Hey, you're the one who didn't want me to wear the sweater I wore when I first got home," he said in a playful tone. It worked as May smiled and crossed her arms.

"I was not going to travel with you wearing that ridiculous sweater," she stated sternly. "Your arms didn't even go all the way through the sleeves!"

"Pika pika kapi pi pi!" Pikachu chimed in from Ash's shoulder and laughed.

"I didn't look that bad, Pikachu," Ash defended.

"What did he say?" May asked curiously.

"He said I looked like a Banette with big legs…"

May laughed as she pictured the image. "I knew you looked like a Pokémon! I just couldn't figure out which one!"

Ash let his two friends laugh for another minute before stopping them.

"As much I enjoy being made fun of," he said to get their attention, "we better get going before the Beedrill wake up."

 **XxXxXxX**

When the trio arrived at the port, they saw the docks were empty apart from a couple of ships. Ash explained to May that Pallet Town, for most people, was not a very popular destination. The people that did come to the small town were either on business or knew of its serene atmosphere to vacation to. He then continued by saying the ships that did dock in Pallet Town arrive from other cities, which can be from either Hoenn, Johto, Sinnoh, or other cities of Kanto. May was surprised at first, but she thought it made sense.

They found their ship and quickly boarded it, so they would be on the vessel when the time came to depart. They had time to look around the docks, but May didn't want to the risk it and wait until the last minute to board the ship. The group searched the boat for a while before settling on the railing towards the front of the ship.

Five minutes later, the horn rang loudly across the port and slowly began making its way into the ocean.

May closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to take in the fresh ocean air. She exhaled slowly, opened her eyes, and smiled.

"This is going to be an amazing journey…I can feel it…" she said happily, still staring at the ocean. She then turned to Ash who seemed to be in deep thought. Her expression turned to a curious one. "Is everything alright, Ash…?"

Hearing May interrupted the trainer's thoughts. "Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine, May," Ash said blankly. He noticed the expression she was giving him and knew she didn't believe him. He smiled as he replied. "Don't worry, May. I'm just trying to figure out what we're going to do when we get there."

"Oh," she responded before smiling back. "Well, there's no need to worry about that right now. We have a few hours before we get there, so we'll think about it when we're closer, yeah?"

"You're right," Ash agreed. He grabbed Pikachu from his shoulder and put him down. "We do have a lot of time…I'll go check the buffet to see when it opens, so we can get there early. Okay?"

"I'll go with you!" May said rather quickly, which startled her two companions. She flushed in embarrassment as she realized what she did. "I-I mean, I can go with you, maybe." Her confidence slowly faltering.

Ash regained his composure and smiled at his friend. "It's okay, May. I'll take Pikachu with me while you search the rest of the ship—you know, just in case we have to wait for the buffet to open we can relax somewhere."

"Okay, that sounds great!" May cheered.

"I heard there's a small battlefield at the back of the ship on the lower deck. How about I meet you there when we're finished?"

May giggled. "Only you would know that this ship has a place to battle on," she said knowingly. "Okay, but after we eat we'll come back to this spot…I like the view and want to see what Twinleaf Town looks like when we're close."

"Deal."

Ash called Pikachu and they began making their way into the ship to search for the restaurant.

May watched them disappear into the ship and sighed.

 _"_ _All this time I've spent with him and I'm still not confident around him,"_ she thought to herself. She stared back to the ocean as she continued. _"I couldn't really make any advances since we were with Mrs. Ketchum most of the time, but we'll be spending a lot time alone together in Sinnoh, so—well, I'll have to wait and see what happens…"_ May then began to think of her other important quest. _"I will do my best to win this Grand Festival…I won't lose this time."_

 **XxXxXxX**

"Nothing yet, buddy?"

"Pikachu."

Ash and Pikachu found the restaurant five minutes after searching for it. They were told by a waiter that it would be open in about thirty minutes. After the duo left the restaurant, they began to look for Team Rocket. Ash and Pikachu both knew they were on the ship and knew they were going to make a dramatic scene at some point. It was the reason why they met Dawn before. What the two heroes could not decide is if they should stop Team Rocket now or wait for them to show up on their own. They had been searching for about fifteen minutes when the trainer asked Pikachu.

"The least we can do is find them," Ash concluded. "You know, so we know we at least know where they are on the ship."

Pikachu nodded.

"It shouldn't be too hard to find them. We just have to look for the only woman with long red hair, only man with short blue hair, and only kid-like person with whiskers and a fake mustache."

Pikachu snickered. "Pikapi, pika chu pika pi."

"Yeah, we weren't too bright back then."

They searched for another five minutes before giving up their search.

Ash sighed in frustration. "I think we should head back with May, buddy," he stated. "They always find us anyways. That won't be any different than before."

Pikachu agreed, and they began making their way to the battlefield on the ship.

They were walking when Ash spoke to his friend.

"I hope there's some strong trainers on board, Pikachu," he stated hopefully, rounding the corner to the field. "We didn't do this last time, so I'm hoping it will be fun. Do you think we should go—,"

"Pika!" Pikachu interrupted shockingly, which caused Ash to look at him concerningly. The mouse merely pointed to the field.

Ash looked towards the field—thinking there was a match Pikachu was impressed by—but nobody was battling. The trainer looked passed it and spotted May and quickly understood what Pikachu was talking about. Ash's eyes widened in utter disbelieve.

"Pikachu, is that…"

"Pi…"

They duo saw May uncomfortably leaning on the railing of the ship talking with the green-haired coordinator, Drew.

 **XxXxXxX**

"Wow, this is amazing!" May exclaimed as she saw the battlefield below. She leaned over the railing taking in the view. "Ash was wrong when he said this was a 'small battlefield.' This looks like something my dad would use for his gym battles."

The field was established by most of the lower deck. There were tables and chairs around, so people can watch the battles on the same level. However, they could also stay on the upper deck and watch from above. And most people stayed on the upper deck believing it would give them a better and safer view of the battles.

Nobody was battling at the moment, so May decided to go down the stairs and search the lower deck. Many people were sitting around the tables or taking in the view of the ocean. She decided to do the latter as she wanted to know if she could still see the docks of Pallet Town. This would let her know if they had traveled far since the ship set sail. She walked to the railing and peered the ocean once more.

 _"_ _I don't know why, but I seem to be staring at the water a lot today,"_ May admitted to herself. She tried to see if she could spot the docks and noticed they were hardly visible. _"Well, I guess we've made some progress already."_ She continued to stare mesmerizingly at the ocean water as she began to wait for Ash to return. On occasion, a few Goldeen and Seaking would jump out of the water and make splashes. May was enjoying herself when someone spoke closely behind her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

May immediately broke out of her trance as she recognized the voice and quickly turned around.

"Drew?!" She exclaimed.

Drew simply smiled and flicked his hair. "Well, at least you haven't forgotten my name these past few months." He pulled out a rose and gave it to May as he comfortably positioned himself next to her. Drew then stared at the water like she was a moment ago. "It's calming to look at the waves…they're steady and easy-going…"

May was still in disbelief when she accepted the rose. "Drew, what are you doing here?" She asked curiously. She noticed he did not changed his apparel, but he did seem a little taller. "I thought the Pokémon Contests in Johto started a while ago. Shouldn't you be there competing?"

"I didn't go to Johto, May," Drew said blankly. He then turned to face her and slowly smiled. "I'm going to compete in the contests in Sinnoh."

"W-What?!" May stuttered. She did not expect him to change his mind and travel to Sinnoh. She thought she would be starting something new, making new rivals in this new journey. May wanted to know what changed his mind. "I thought you said you were gonna go to Johto with Harley and Solidad…?"

Drew smirked and flicked his hair once more. "I was, but then I realized that you were my biggest rival…if you weren't going to be in Johto, there wouldn't be any competitors good enough to face me."

"What about Solidad?" May questioned. "She beat me, so shouldn't she be the one you want to beat now?"

"Solidad is great—I'll admit it—but she doesn't challenge me like you do, May…"

"O-Oh, okay…" May's cheeks flushed after hearing his statement. But, she was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the conversation, so she decided to change the subject. "So why are you on this ship? If you are going to Sinnoh, I would've thought you'd want to arrive early to prepare for the contests."

Drew sighed in irritation. "I did," he said. "I actually left yesterday. This ship makes few stops before arriving in Sinnoh…something I wish they would've told me before I bought the ticket. The last stop it was going to make was just right now in Kanto."

There was an odd silence before any of the two spoke up again.

"I had a feeling you were on the ship, May," Drew stated. "I searched for a while when I first got on, but stopped when I didn't see any sign of you."

"Oh, we just got on from Pallet Town," May said, which made her think of Ash and Pikachu. She then realized something odd. "Wait, how'd you know I was going to the Sinnoh Region? I didn't tell anyone where I was going."

Drew smiled warmly. "We're friends, May," he said lowly. "I had a really good feeling you would be choosing Sinnoh over Johto so that you could find Ketchum and travel with him…I went with my gut, and I was right…I also had good feeling I'd find you first, so I could convince you to travel me through Sinnoh."

"Drew, you know—,"

"Hear me out, May," he interrupted. "I know Ketchum helped you in the beginning, but maybe it's time to go in a different direction. I could help you and you could help me. So, before you get there and go looking for Ash," putting emphasis on the trainer's name, "maybe you can give some thought about us traveling together…?"

May knew Drew meant well and knew it would help in a way to travel with him, but she really wanted to travel with Ash. _"Besides, I already decided this a while back, and I'm_ with _Ash right now."_ For some reason, this thought made her smile brightly.

The green-haired coordinator smiled, interpreting May's expression to be good for him.

"Thanks, Drew, I—,"

"Pika!"

The two coordinators turned around and saw Pikachu running towards them. In a quick instance, he jumped into May's arms which caused her to giggle.

 _"_ _Is that Ketchum's Pikachu!"_ Drew glared at the Electric-type.

"Sorry, we're late," Drew heard Ash say from behind them. "We kinda got lost on the way back."

 _"_ _So, this is what she meant when she said, 'we got on from Pallet Town.' I thought she was talking about her and Pokémon—specifically Eevee. I guess it makes more sense since she did get on the ship in Pallet Town and not Petalburg."_ Drew breathed in slowly to regain his composure and flicked his hair. He knew how to deal with the trainer easily. He turned around slowly and spoke. "I thought that was your Pikachu, Ketchum. I could tell by how slow it wa—," he stopped when he viewed the person who he called 'Ketchum.'

Ash could tell Drew was surprised by his physique and size as the green-haired teen kept staring at his body thoroughly with his eyes wide. This was making Ash feel uncomfortable, so he coughed to get Drew's attention.

"Uh, Drew, my eyes are up here," Ash said, pointing to his face.

May covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

Drew, on the other hand, was getting angry. However, he didn't want to show May that Ketchum was getting the better of him, so he merely crossed his arms and smirked.

"Sorry, I was just little surprised by how much you've changed in so little time, is all," he stated. "Though, I'm not surprised that you chose brawns over brains. It was only a matter of time before you figured out which category you belonged to…"

After hearing Drew's statement, May suddenly felt angry. She was not sure if Ash understood what the green-haired teen meant, but she did and knew it was not very nice. She was going to respond when Ash responded first.

"Oh, so I guess you've chosen neither, huh?" He said sympathetically. "It's okay, Drew, you still have friends that like you for who you are."

 _"_ _How is he able to get the best of me?! He's an idiot!"_ Drew gritted before responding. "Action speaks louder than words, Ketchum," he grinned, thinking there was a better way to handle this argument. "How about a 'friendly' battle to settle this little dispute?"

"What would a battle prove?" May interjected.

"It would prove that brawns and power aren't everything," Drew said, never taking his eyes off Ash. _"I know I can best him in a battle while humiliating him in front of May. My strategies are far better than his are."_

Ash simply shrugged. "Alright, I accept."

"Alright." Drew turned to May and continued. "This shouldn't take long, May. I'll be back quickly, so we could finish talking without any interruptions." With that he began to walk towards the battlefield.

May then paced with Pikachu still in her arms over to Ash. The trainer was calm and smiling as she stood in front of him.

"Don't take Drew lightly, Ash," she warned. "He might be a coordinator, but he knows plenty of strategies to do good in a battle."

"No need to worry, May," he replied, still smiling. "I take all my battles seriously. This one won't be an exception. Just take care of Pikachu for me, please. I'm not going to use him in this match."

May nodded and watched Ash walk towards the opposite side of the battlefield. She sat down with Pikachu at an empty table and waited for the match to begin. She wondered what would cause Drew to challenge Ash so suddenly to a battle. She continued to ponder the reason as she saw her friends stand on the opposing ends of the ship.

People from both the upper and lower deck noticed Ash and Drew position themselves on the field and waited with anticipation for the battle to start. It would be the first one since the ship took off from Pallet Town. Judging by the looks the two challengers were exchanging, the passengers knew this was going to be a good match. Before Ash and Drew held a Poké ball in either of their hands, they had a massive audience already watching them.

"How many Pokémon do you have with you, Ketchum," Drew yelled across the field.

"Without Pikachu, I have two with me," Ash replied.

Drew smirked. "It figures you would only have three Pokémon in total. Fine…we'll make this a two-on-two battle. Is that alright?"

"I'm okay with that."

"Good, and like I said power and brawns aren't everything. It won't be that simple to beat me, Ketchum. Besides, just because _you_ got stronger, doesn't mean your Pokémon did, too."

Ash grinned. "We'll find out right now, won't we?"

Drew gritted his teeth. "Alright, let's begin! Go, Flygon!" He pulled out a Poké ball and threw it the air. The Mystic Pokémon landed loudly on the field ready to fight.

"RARR!" Flygon roared towards Ash.

"Hmm…okay, I choose you, Totodile!" Ash threw his Poké ball and out came the small Johto starter.

Totodile appeared with its jaw clenched shut and arms to the side. It glared intensely at Flygon, surprisingly intimidating the Dragon Pokémon with its look. The audience, and Drew, also did not like the way the Water-type's appearance was. It seemed somewhat menacing. Totodile then slowly made its way towards the middle the field before raising its arms and closing it eyes, which creeped out the crowd furtherly its weird actions. All of the sudden, Totodile broke into a large smile and began dancing happily in front of everybody.

The people on the upper and lower decks, who initially feared the small Pokémon, were now enamored with it. They began making "aww" and "so cute" remarks to Totodile. Some passengers even took pictures of it with their cameras.

Drew, who seemed slightly frightened by Totodile at first, was now laughing at its ridiculous actions.

"That's one strong Pokémon you have there, Ketchum," he said sarcastically.

"I know," Ash responded, noting and ignoring Drew's tone. "But I'm tired of talking. Let's begin."

 _"_ _Idiot,"_ Drew thought. "Flygon, use Sandstorm!"

"Rar!" Flygon called out before flapping its red-trimmed wings fiercely, causing the field to be covered in a sand stream.

Everyone, with the exception of Ash and Totodile, shielded their eyes from the sand being thrown around.

Totodile was still dancing excitingly as nothing had occurred.

"Now, Flygon, get in and use Steel Wing!" Drew commanded.

Flygon flew rapidly towards the dancing Pokémon to connect its attack. When it was close, the Dragon threw its wings back and launched them towards Totodile. However, without breaking character, Totodile easily dodged the Steel Wing. Flygon turned around and continued a barrage of Steel Wings to collide against the moving opponent. Unfortunately, Totodile was too fast and dodged all of them with ease.

 _"_ _At this rate, Flygon will be too tired to do anything else,"_ Drew concluded. "Use Flamethrower at close range!"

Ash knew it was time to act. "Use Water Gun to counter!"

Totodile finally opened its eyes and fired the strong water move.

"DILE!"

The two attacks collided, pushing the two Pokémon away from each other. And after a few seconds, the Flamethrower began faltering to the Water Gun. Drew knew he had to change tactics.

"Break it off and fly up!" Flygon obeyed and quickly did as it trainer said. "Now use Dragon Breath!"

Flygon sent the powerful attack to Totodile, who had started to dance again when they stopped the previous moves.

"Use Hydro Pump!"

Totodile stopped and fired its powerful attack to intercept the Dragon Breath heading towards it. The attacks clashed and caused an explosion on the field. The strong wind caused by the impact made the Sandstorm disappear. When the dust finally cleared, everyone could see Flygon in the air and Totodile on the field dancing.

 _"_ _I'm tired of seeing that little thing dance!"_ Drew clenched his fists. "You're not going to beat me by countering, Ketchum! Flygon, get in and use Steel Wing!"

The Mystic Pokémon somersaulted in the air before rapidly approaching Totodile. Its wings, once again, turned metallic and sharp as it headed to its opponent. When Flygon was a few inches away, Ash exploited the opportunity.

"Totodile, jump and use Ice Fang!" He commanded.

Drew's eyes widened when he heard the move. "Ice—what?!"

"To-To!" Said the Water-type while dodging the Steel Wing. It was able to jump on Flygon's back and hang on tightly as it flew in the air. Totodile's sharp teeth then became engulfed in ice, preparing the Ice Fang. Each tooth looked like a small icicle. "Dile!" Said Totodile as it launched the attack on Flygon's neck.

"RARR!" The Dragon yelled in pain. It could not maintain itself in the air and crashed harshly on the ground.

Totodile jumped before it could crash onto the ground with its opponent.

"Finish it with Water Gun!" Ash yelled.

The water attack directly hit Flygon on the back, causing it to cry in more pain. When the attack finished, everyone could see Flygon on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"To-to-to-to-to-dile!" Totodile said as it jumped and danced, which caused the audience to cheer.

Drew saw his Pokémon on the floor unconscious and returned it in its Poké ball. He could feel his anger rising as he saw Totodile, once again, jumping and dancing excitedly. He took in a deep breath to try and calm himself.

 _"_ _I have to stay calm,"_ he told himself. _"If I start to get angry, I could lose focus on the battle…I still have a chance to comeback."_

Ash thanked Totodile for the match and quickly recalled it into the Poké ball. He then pulled out another one before he spoke to Drew. "We can stop now if you want, Drew," he suggested. "The first battle was really good that we could just end it here. What do you think?"

Drew smirked and flicked his green hair. "I know you're afraid I'll comeback, Ketchum, but we said this would be a two-on-two battle, so we'll keep it that way." He then withdrew another Poké ball and threw it in the air. "Go, Absol!"

"Sol," said the Dark-type Pokémon.

 _"_ _Absol, huh. I thought he would've used his Roselia,"_ Ash thought. "You're right, Drew. We did say this would be a two-on-two match and that's what'll be. I choose you, Infernape!"

"A what?" Was all Drew could saw.

"Infernape!" Roared the Pokémon as it flexed its body.

The Sinnoh starter appeared on the field ready to fight. The fire on its head was burning brightly, and its yellow symbols on its shoulders, hands, knees, and chest stood out from its white and brown fur across its body.

Some of the passengers—those most likely native to Sinnoh—in the audience recognized Infernape and were anxious for the match to start. They knew the fully evolved Pokémon would make it a good battle with powerful moves against Absol. However, they also pondered if they knew the trainer. Not many people have Sinnoh starters that do not make it to the Sinnoh League. They wondered if he ever competed before.

 _I've never seen this Pokémon before,"_ Drew admitted frustratingly. _"But, I can tell it's a Fire-type which gives me the advantage by using Absol."_ He thought of a quick strategy before calling out to his Pokémon. "Alright, Absol, let's start by using Flash!"

Absol's eyes glowed brightly red and performed the attack. "Ab-SOL!"

A bright light covered the entire field, causing everyone to shield their eyes. Infernape turned its head away while covering its eyes from the Flash attack, as well.

Drew knew this was his chance to attack. "Use Water Pulse!"

"Sol!" Absol yelled as it fired the ball of water to Infernape. The Water Pulse bolted across the field and landed directly against its target, which caused an explosion.

Drew smiled. _"He probably doesn't even know what happened just now,"_ he thought cockily. However, his expression turn to one of disbelief as he saw Infernape still standing in the same position. On the contrary, the Pokémon did not even appear to have taken damage and seemed ready to launch its own attack. _"I-I think I've underestimated Ketchum this time,"_ Drew admitted angrily. He thought of the previous battle and how the little Totodile was able to overpower his strong Flygon. _"I don't know what he did these past months, but he's not the same…I'll have to stall him while I come up with a strategy."_

Ash could tell Drew was thinking deeply and decided to wait before calling an attack. "What's the best you can come up, huh?" He whispered to himself.

The coordinator thought the best strategy was to continue with what he knew—coordinating. "Absol, send a barrage of Water Pulses into the sky!"

Absol scattered the attacks in the air and waited for the next demand.

"Now jump and use Iron Tail on all of the them!"

"Ab-sol!" Absol exclaimed as it jumped and its metallic tail destroyed all the Water Pulses. With every Water Pulse that was hit, water started to pour on the field. It looked like it was raining with the sun still shining brightly. Absol looked glorious in the middle of it all.

 _"_ _That should give me few moments without Fire moves,"_ Drew concluded. He quickly glanced at May and saw she had a look of admiration for the display that just happened. Drew also noticed the audience had the same look as well, which caused him to smirk. _"I can't say I'm surprised by their reactions…come on Ketchum—do your worst."_

Ash grinned. "Smart move, Drew," he called out.

"I know." Drew flicked his hair. "What can I say? I can make battling look beautiful and make you Pokémon's moves useless. Are you ready to lose?"

"I was actually thinking the exact same thing," Ash commented. "Alright, Infernape end this with Close Combat!"

Drew's eyes widened when he heard the move. He had never of it, but it sounded very powerful. His suspicion was right with what happened next.

Suddenly, Infernape began sprinting rapidly towards a shocked Absol. When it was within arms-reach, Infernape launched its fists against the Dark-type's face and body. The Fire Pokémon was pulverizing Absol badly that the audience could hear each fist that collided. Infernape threw its right fist across the body once more before Ash spoke up.

"Finish it!"

With its final impact, Infernape introduced its leg to Absol's body, causing Absol to crash harshly against the ground.

"Infernape!" Said the Pokémon when it finished the attack.

Everyone could see swirls in Absol's eyes and knew the battle was over. They all clapped towards Ash and Drew, thanking them for a great match.

Drew, on the other hand, was still in utter shock. He could not believe the speed and power Ash's Pokémon displayed against his Pokémon. He had never witnessed his Pokémon get hit so badly before. Drew was upset, but he decided now would not be the best time to let it out. He recalled Absol and walked over to Ash, who had already thanked and returned his Infernape. The coordinator showed a calm look as stood in front of the trainer.

"You surprised me today, Ketchum," he said coolly. "I'll admit I underestimated you, so you may have gotten lucky, too."

Ash chuckled his stupid remark. "Yeah, probably…"

Drew quickly looked passed the trainer and saw May slowly making her way towards them. He decided to do something rash but hoped it might work. "You know I can do more for May in her contests, right?" He said honestly.

 _"_ _No, but I'll see where this is going."_ Ash had a feeling he knew what Drew was going to ask but wanted to be sure. "Maybe…what are you getting at, Drew?"

"Why don't you let May travel with me through the Sinnoh Region?" He suggested in a friendly tone. "She can learn more traveling with another coordinator than she would a trainer. What do you think?"

Ash sighed. "I can't tell her what to do," he replied. He was not too fond of the male coordinator, but Ash knew he was a part of May's life before and did not want to change that.

"Then why don't you let me talk with her?" Drew continued in a whispering tone as May was getting closer. "Just give me a few minutes to talk with her alone so that I could try and convince her."

Ash was reluctant but knew he had to let May make this decision on her own. "Okay, Drew."

"What's 'okay,' Ash?" May said, walking up from behind him.

"Oh," Ash said, turning around and seeing May. He knew, however, how to respond. "Drew just wanted to know if he could get a rematch later. I told him we could, but it would be later when I have a few badges."

 _"_ _Is he blackmailing me into another match?"_ Drew decided he would talk to him about it later. He turned to May. "Uh, yeah…I told him I hadn't trained in a few days, so I was a little out of it."

May was suspicious because Ash had not trained for an entire month, so a few days for Drew should have gave him the advantage. But, she thought it would be best to let it go.

"Okay," she cheered. "I'd like to see that rematch!"

Drew then quickly glanced at Ash, notifying him to make his exit so they could talk.

Ash reluctantly nodded. He grabbed Pikachu from May's arms and began to make his way. "Thanks, May…well, how 'bout I leave you two alone to catch up, huh?"

"Wait!" May quickly responded. "I thought we were going to get something to eat…?"

"We could go eat if you want, May," Drew suggested. He thought eating at the restaurant would be the perfect place to talk with her. "Besides, it looks like—,"

"Excuse me…"

The trio turned around to see who politely interrupted their conversation. They noticed a girl around their age standing next to them. She had long, brown hair that came down her shoulders and was wearing a green summer dress with a pair of green sandals that complemented her light, green eyes—maybe on vacation, the trio thought. She was a very beautiful girl. She was standing with her hands behind her back with shy expression on her face.

"Um, I was wondering if you would like to battle?" She shyly asked Ash.

Ash was slightly surprised at first, but he regained his composure and smiled. "Uh, yeah…sounds like fun," he replied nicely. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

"O-Oh, my name is Andie." Her faced flushed with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry I'm just little nervous, that's all…my friends encouraged me to come talk you," she said, smiling towards Ash.

May, suddenly, felt something in the pit of her stomach. She was not sure what it was, but she did not like the way it felt. "How about we wait for you to finish so that we could all go eat?" She asked Ash.

"It's okay, May," Ash reassured. "You and Drew go on ahead…I'll catch up with you both after I'm finished. And like I said it'll give you guys time to catch up."

"Great," Drew interjected while grabbing May's hand. "Come on, May, let's go get a table and wait for him there."

May slowly began walking away from Ash, leaving him with the beautiful stranger named Andie. She saw Ash say something to the green-eyed teen which made her giggle and blush. May felt the feeling in her stomach stronger than before.

 _"_ _Am I…am I jealous? No, I'm probably just hungry, maybe…"_ She thought as she saw Ash lead the blushing teen to the battlefield. _"Maybe not…"_

 **Alright, that's the end of Chapter 10. I'm already working on the next chapter already, and I should be posting it up in two weeks (three weeks at most). I'm on vacation, so I do have a little more time than I did before.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this one. You can tell me what you think, tell me if you like the way it's going, or not—I can take criticism. I'm hoping it's only getting better, though. For those of you that follow my other story, which isn't a lot of you, the next chapter will come up after I post up the next one for Timeflies. I can't seem to find the right direction for that one, so I'm figuring it out.**

 **Okay, I hope to hear what you all think.**

 **-RedHood06**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or any of its characters.**

 **Chapter 11**

May and Drew had quickly arrived at the restaurant after leaving Ash in the battlefield. They were seated at a table and decided to wait for him to show up before they ate. They were quiet at first—thinking about the events that just happened and how odd they were for different reasons. Drew still could not believe he lost to Ketchum so easily, and May still could not comprehend why the beautiful stranger did not settle well with her. However, the silence did not last long as Drew thought he would make good use of the time Ash was giving to him.

"So, are you excited to compete in the Sinnoh contests?" He asked. He wanted to slowly bring the subject up.

May was still in deep thought, but she heard the question. "Yeah, it should be fun."

"I suggest you start thinking about new performances and strategies," Drew said while crossing his arms. "This will be more competitive than the Kanto and Sinnoh contests. It won't be easy to get through the appeal rounds with mediocre performances."

May focused more on the conversation as he started to talk about contests. She was beginning to worry and scare by his descriptions. "What do you mean the Sinnoh contests are more competitive than the ones we've competed in?" She asked curiously. "What's makes them so different?"

"Well," Drew started, "besides the fact that we dress up for the contests, many of the best coordinators originate from Sinnoh. There's even a gym leader that takes time off to do coordinating…it's a big deal there. I did a lot of research before getting on the ship and it turns out the judges seem to be tougher there, too."

"Wait, we have to dress up, too?" She questioned wanting to make sure she heard him correctly.

"Yeah, though, I'm not sure if it's really mandatory," he admitted. "But, I think it's best we do, so it shows that we're serious about competing. I'm pretty sure everybody does it, anyways."

"Oh, okay…thanks for the heads up."

Drew knew this was his chance. "May," he began, "I can tell you're starting to worry about the contests, and it's normal for you be." He reached his hand across the table and put it on top of hers. "I can help you, though. We can help each other if you travel with me…"

May looked towards their touching hands and could feel her face heating up from the contact. She pulled her hand back and placed both her hands on her lap before responding.

"Drew, I'm already—,"

"Before you answer," He interjected. "Let's eat first. I can tell you're really hungry."

"I'm waiting for Ash to eat," May replied. However, her stomach betrayed her as it growled loudly.

Drew chuckled. "I'm sure he'd understand after hearing that noise."

May flushed from embarrassment.

"If it makes you feel any better, we'll eat slow so that it gives him a chance to catch up. Deal?"

May smiled. "Deal!"

Drew smiled to himself. _"It seems like I'm getting through to her,"_ he thought to himself. _"Not to mention I'm keeping on her good-side by pretending to like Ketchum…the more late he is the more it helps me."_

The two coordinators got up and gathered a few plates full of food to bring back to the table. Moreover, May brought back a few plates full of food while Drew had one plate with a decent amount of food. When Drew asked her if she brought some of the food for Ash, May hesitated and shyly replied it was only for her. The green-haired teen knew it would be better for him if he didn't push the topic further.

May and Drew both ate slowly as they promised to give Ash time to show up and join them, but he never arrived. They ate for about thirty minutes and there was still no sign of the trainer and his Pikachu. They had finished eating and May knew Drew would want an answer to his question, but she seemed too worried about Ash to start up the conversation. Drew, however, was feeling very confident and spoke up.

"I don't think you should be worried about Ketchum," he initiated noting her distracted expression. "Maybe he was challenged by more trainers to a battle," he paused for moment before continuing casually. "Or maybe he's still with that girl, Andie…"

After hearing his words, May quickly focused on Drew.

Drew nodded. "Yeah, I mean she is rather beautiful." He could tell his words were affecting her and continued. "I know Ash isn't very aware of these things, but I think he knows a beautiful girl when he sees one."

As she did when she first left Ash with Andie, May was beginning to feel something in the pit of stomach. Suddenly, and surprisingly, she stood up and grabbed her things.

"Sorry, Drew," she apologized. "I think something is wrong with Ash and I need to find him."

The green-haired teen realized he went a little too far and decided to take his chance that the trainer gave him. "Wait, you still haven't given me an answer yet."

May sighed. "Drew…" she paused before continuing in a soft tone. "I'm going to travel with Ash again. It was one of the main reasons why I came to Sinnoh in the first place." She sat back down before continuing again. "I know I'd learn a lot as a coordinator traveling with you, but…I honestly think it would take away the fun of being rivals. If we learned from each other, there would be no competition between us because we know how to beat the other's weaknesses…I don't want to change what we have because it's special to me. Isn't it to you?"

Drew was shocked initially, but then he simply flicked his hair and smiled. "You're right, May…what we have is special, and I don't want to ruin it."

May smiled brightly. "Great, why don't we—,"

She stopped when a loud explosion interrupted her.

"What was that?" Drew asked, standing and scouting the area.

"I don't know, but it sounded like it was coming from outside. Let's go see!"

The duo ran out of the restaurant onto the deck and heard another explosion towards the front of the ship. They ran around the corner of vessel and saw Ash battling against Team Rocket. Pikachu was battling against both Cacnea and Seviper.

"Ash!" May said as she ran to his side.

Ash heard her but did not bother turning around—fearing that Team Rocket would take advantage of the opportunity.

"Go, Blaziken!" May threw her Poké ball in the air and out came the Hoenn starter.

"Blaze!" Exclaimed the Fire-type. The fire around her wrists burned brightly and she flexed.

"Use Flamethrower!"

Blaziken opened her mouth and the massive fire attack raged towards Team Rocket's Pokémon who were surprised by the sudden move. James, though, was able to act before the Flamethrower reached them.

"Cacnea, use Pin Missile to block it!"

Cacnea pointed its needled arms towards the Flamethrower and launched the white missiles to intercept it. The missiles raced quickly and collided with the Fire move—causing an explosion on the deck.

The passengers began running away from the battle—scared of getting hurt from the different attacks being called out by both sides. They ran in the direction where May and Drew had arrived from because Team Rocket was blocking the other passageway.

"Well, I thought you'd be traveling alone, twerp," Jesse hissed at Ash.

Ash ignored the statement and noticed Drew was getting ready to join the battle. "Wait, Drew," he ordered which stopped the coordinator. "Team Rocket said they knocked out a few security guards and trapped them in a closet on the lower deck. May and I can handle the battle while you go down and look for them."

Drew was about to protest when May joined in.

"We'll be fine, Drew!" She reassured. "Go find the guards, please."

"Alright, I'll go…" the coordinator reluctantly agreed. He turned and disappeared around the corner.

"It seems da twerp is confident about dis battle, Jess."

"Don't be a scaredy-cat now, Meowth," Jessie countered. She then looked at May and spoke up. "So, the twerpette is here, too, huh? We'll be glad to take that overgrown chicken off your hands along with Pikachu if you want."

"Not in your life, old lady!" May yelled back.

"Old lady! Why you spoiled brat!" Jessie said angrily. "Seviper, use Poison Sting!"

"Viper!" Said the Pokémon as it readied to fire an array of purple stingers toward Blaziken.

"Blaziken, use Flamethrower once more!"

Both Seviper and Blaziken fired their attacks at the same time and speed—meeting in the middle and colliding which caused minor explosion.

Jessie gritted her teeth.

"We need to rethink this, Jessie," James suggested. "One twerp was alright, but we weren't prepared for two of them."

She slowly nodded which acknowledged he was right.

"I tink I got a plan dat just might work," Meowth said. He quietly explained it to them while staring back at Ash and May—not wanting to explicitly show them they were planning something. "So, what do ya tink?"

"Sounds good to me," James chimed.

"I'll start it off then," Jessie stated focusing on May again. "Use Poison Sting on Blaziken, Seviper!"

"Send a Pin Missile attack that way, too, Cacnea!"

Cacnea lifted its glowing white arms once more and fired the white missiles while Seviper opened its mouth to fire another array of purple stingers towards Blaziken. May was not expecting the two moves against her, but Ash was predicting they would double-team her and countered quickly.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to stop the attacks!"

"Pika-CHU!" Said Pikachu as he jumped and launched his powerful Electric attack to intercept the moves. The Thunderbolt quickly destroyed the Pin Missile and Poison Sting headed for Blaziken. Suddenly, however, a metallic arm with a rubber hand grabbed Pikachu in the air.

"Gotcha!" Meowth exclaimed while retracting his machine with Pikachu perfectly placed in between. "I knew you couldn't resist playing da hero and took advantage of it!"

"Don't worry, Ash," May said confidently. "I'll get him back. Blaziken, get close and use Sky Uppercut!"

"No, wait a second, May," Ash yelled, but to no avail.

Blaziken was already sprinting at full speed with her fists closed ready to launch the attack. When she was a couple of feet from Team Rocket, Blaziken crouched before throwing her right fist in the air against the mechanical arm. Unfortunately, neither May or Blaziken saw Jessie throw a Poké ball in the air.

"Dustox, use Psybeam!"

"Dus-tox!" The Bug Pokémon appeared and quickly fired the colorful beam against the Hoenn starter's chest. The Psybeam collided before the Fire-type could land the Sky Uppercut.

"Blaze!" Cried Blaziken in pain.

"No!" May worryingly yelled to her Pokémon.

Team Rocket laughed at her misfortune.

"That's what you get for calling me 'old lady,' you twerp," Jessie snarled. "You should show respect to your superiors!"

James put a hand on her shoulder to interrupt her. "I think we should quit while we still have Pikachu, Jess."

She nodded confidently. "Fine, let's get going." She turned and smiled back at Ash and May. "It was fun kicking your butts, but we have to go now. Bye!"

"Not so fast, you cowards!"

Everyone turned to the passageway Team Rocket was blocking off and saw Drew with Roselia next to him. The flowers on Roselia's hands were visibly glowing brightly.

"You're not getting away that easily," he said clenching his fists. "Use Solarbeam!"

"No! Wait, Drew!" Ash tried to stop him.

Upon hearing the command, Roselia quickly pointed its arms forward and fired the powerful Grass move towards a stunned Team Rocket. The Solarbeam quickly raced in their direction and collided directly against the trio and Pikachu—causing a large explosion to occur where they stood. Team Rocket could be seen flying far in the sky.

"We're blasting off again!" Was all that could be heard as they pierced the sky.

Pikachu, however, was also seen flying but in the opposite direction away from Team Rocket. He was sent towards the Sinnoh Region, which could be seen in the distance from the position of the ship.

"Pikaaa!" Pikachu's voice faded as he flew farther away from the ship. A few seconds later, he couldn't be seen and was out of his friends' view somewhere in the Sinnoh Region.

Ash was shocked. He knew Team Rocket would grab Pikachu after attacking May. It was a common tactic they enjoyed doing because it was mostly successful. He had a plan for Pikachu to escape within their grasps and attack directly at close range, which always worked against them in the future. However, Ash didn't predict Drew would go around Team Rocket and land a surprise attack—especially a powerful move like Solarbeam. Seeing Pikachu soar across the sky into the Sinnoh Region brought back memories for Ash. His initial shocked expression turned to one of seriousness.

May reacted as Ash did when she saw Pikachu disappear in the distance. She looked slowly towards Ash who wasn't sad but determined. She saw him sprint directly towards Drew and closely followed behind.

Drew was in disbelieve and in deep thought. There was no outcome in his mind that predicted the one that just occurred. He was only snapped out of trance when he suddenly saw Ash looking at him with a serious look.

"I-I'm sorry, Ketchum," the green-haired said sincerely. "I didn't know that was going to happen—it wasn't my intention."

Ash put his hand up to stop Drew's rambling. "There's no time to talk about it now. I need to borrow your Flygon to take me to Twinleaf Town."

"Y-Yeah, sure." Drew grabbed his Poké ball and threw it in the air, releasing the tired Mystic Pokémon. He knew he had no right to argue because he caused the incident.

Ash dug in his pocket and pulled out a Sitrus Berry. He gave it to Flygon, so it could regain some of its energy from the previous battle it had. Ash then gracefully jumped on Flygon's back. He was about to take off when May stopped him.

"Wait, I'll go with you, Ash," she proposed. "I want to go look for Pikachu, too. It'd be better if two of us are looking instead of one."

"It would be better, but Flygon can't carry both of us."

"He's right, May," Drew interjected. "Even with the Sitrus Berry, it is still tired from the battle it had with Totodile earlier. Flygon would fly slower with two people on its back."

"So I just wait here and do nothing then!" May argued. She was beginning to feel upset that she hadn't been able to do things the way she wanted and was feeling ignored.

"I need to get there as fast as possible," Ash stated calmly while looking the frustrated brunette. "Pikachu could be hurt, and I need to look for him before anything else happens to him. You'll be more help here by calling Professor Oak and telling him what happened. Maybe he can get some of Professor Rowan's assistants to look for him while I'm heading there. Can you do that for me, May?"

May considered his eyes and took in every word. She knew he was right and nodded disappointingly.

Ash grinned. "Don't worry. When you arrive in Twinleaf Town, I should have Pikachu on my shoulder ready to travel again."

May smiled softly and nodded while stepping back away from Flygon. She watched the Pokémon slowly flap its wings to start ascending before Ash gave it a command which caused the green dragon to increase its flight speed rapidly towards the Sinnoh Region. May sadly viewed Ash disappear in the distance. She put her hands behind her back before changing her sad expression to a happy one. She knew he would be okay.

 **XxXxXxX**

Pikachu slowly fluttered his eyes open and noticed the tall trees surrounding him. He felt a tinge of pain in his left arm and saw a few scrapes scattered around the area. He knew this was probably caused by crashing into the trees—not from the Solarbeam which he deduced to be less powerful than he thought. Pikachu then cautiously stood up and looked around to see if he could get an idea where he was at. He guessed that he was somewhere between Sandgem and Twinleaf Town. He figured Ash would be heading to Twinleaf Town right now in some way, so the mouse believed the best thing for him to do would be to head towards the small town.

It took Pikachu about five minutes to find the main road, so he can begin making his way. He decided it would be best since going through the forest directly would most likely result in encountering random Pokémon that weren't so friendly. Pikachu was sure he could battle any opponent even with his injuries, but he knew it wasn't necessary. The yellow rodent looked in both directions before deciding that heading right would lead him to Twinleaf Town.

Pikachu had walked for ten minutes when his ears perked up from a far sudden noise behind him. It was getting closer. He recognized the sound and knew a bike was approaching his direction. The yellow mouse quickly jumped into a nearby bush—not wanting to get noticed by the traveler and be misjudged as a wild Pokémon. Unfortunately, Pikachu heard the bike make an abrupt stop in front of his hiding position and knew he had been compromised.

"Oh, wow! That was a Pikachu!" A soft voice exclaimed happily.

Pikachu's eyes went wide in disbelief as he recognized the voice. He peeked his head slowly through the bush to make sure his assumption was right, and he was. Unbelievably, it was Dawn. He jumped out of the bush and saw the teenage blue-haired girl smiling at him. Not once in Pikachu's mind did he think he would run into her. It never occurred to him. She was wearing her white beanie with a pink Poké ball in the middle, her black V-neck tanktop with a white undershirt and pink skirt, and her pink knee-high boots with black socks underneath. He was happy, yet annoyed, about seeing her. He was happy that he found someone he knew but very annoyed that she had the same determined expression as she did before to try and capture him. He sighed to himself. Maybe there were some things that couldn't be changed with time travel.

"I knew it!" Dawn said pumping her fists in the air. She pulled out a Poké ball from her bag and enlarged it. "You're going to be the first Pokémon I catch in my journey. Go!" She threw the ball fiercely at Pikachu.

Pikachu pretended to be intimidated as the Poké ball raced in his direction, but he merely turned around hastily and whipped his tail hitting the ball back to her.

Dawn caught the Poké ball sent back to her and stared at Pikachu sadly. "Aww, why didn't that work? He must belong to somebody already," she pouted. She then noticed Pikachu's arm was slightly red and became worried as she approached the yellow Pokémon. "Oh, are you hurt?"

Pikachu lifted his small arm to show her his injuries. They were minor, but he knew Dawn would be concerned enough to help him.

"You are hurt," Dawn concluded after seeing the red marks closely. She gently picked him up and placed him in the basket on her bike. She turned the cycle around and got on to start pedaling. "I'll take you to see Professor Rowan. He'll fix you up no time, okay?"

"Pika!" Pikachu said whipping his head around to look at her. "Pikachu pi pika pika pika," he pointed in the opposite direction towards Twinleaf Town. He wanted to meet Ash instead of being healed.

"Hey, no need to worry," Dawn reassured with a smile. "Professor Rowan is in Sandgem Town going this way. You just relax and enjoy ride!"

Pikachu slumped and rubbed his head with his right hand. Even when things started looking well for him, today was not the yellow mouse's day.

It took them ten minutes to arrive in Sandgem Town. Dawn was really concerned about Pikachu's wounds and pedaled very fast to the town. As she continued to the professor's lab, she wondered how Pikachu received the injuries to begin with. She thought the Pokémon might have been in a battle and got hurt in the process. But, something did not add up for Dawn.

 _"_ _Where's his trainer?"_ Dawn pondered as she glanced at the small Pokémon in her basket. She knew Pikachu was a boy by the shape of his tail. _"Was Pikachu left in the forest because he lost a battle? How can someone be so mean?!"_ She was getting angry at thought of someone leaving a Pokémon because it lost a match. _"This trainer better hope I never meet him…or her, I guess."_

Pikachu remembered being in Sandgem Town a few months ago and did not notice any differences. It was still the small, sandy town located next the beach. He could easily smell the salty scent of the sea in the air. He then began to think of how Ash would react when the trainer saw him with Dawn. They had discussed trying to find her during their travels, but they did not predict meeting her in the first few towns; nevertheless, in the same way they met her before in their old lives. Pikachu's thoughts were interrupted as Dawn stopped in front of the large laboratory.

"We're here," Dawn stated while parking her bike in front of the door and grabbing Pikachu from the basket. She thought she would give him a few words of encouragement just in case the Electric-type was feeling uneasy about meeting someone new. "There's no need to worry about Professor Rowan, okay? I was just here a while back to get my first Pokémon and he's really nice. And if you're feeling nervous, I'll be there next to you the whole time!" She smiled to him.

Pikachu nodded and smiled back.

"Professor Rowan, I need some help!" Dawn yelled entering the building.

There were a few people in lab coats around the room that turned around when they heard the girl yelp. However, it was an older man with a beard and a serious expression that approached her and Pikachu.

"Hmm," the older man grunted when he saw the Pikachu in Dawn's arms. He grabbed Pikachu from her and quickly checked his injuries. He then gave the mouse to one of his assistants to take of the wounds. "It seems this little one has a few scrapes and bruises on its arm that aren't too serious. We could give him treatment this time, Dawn, but we're not healers. Next time you will have to take your Pokémon to the Pokémon Centre, alright?"

"Alright," she said noting his statement. She then proceeded to clear up the misunderstanding. "Oh, and this isn't my Pikachu, professor. I found him when I was heading back to Twinleaf Town."

"So, it is a wild Pokémon?" Professor Rowan asked.

"Well, no, I don't think so," Dawn replied honestly. "I actually tried capturing him when I first saw him, but he just hit the Poké ball back to me when I threw it."

"Yes, I guess that does mean this Pikachu belongs to somebody. Did you look for the trainer? Do you know where he or she might be?"

Dawn looked down sheepishly. "No, I'll admit I didn't bother looking for his trainer." She then looked up and angrily at the professor. "But I didn't see anyone around which means Pikachu was just left there! Who would be so mean and leave a Pokémon injured in the forest?!"

"We don't know the full story," he said trying to calm her down. "Probably something happened to cause Pikachu to be separated from his trainer."

"Yeah, I guess," Dawn agreed. However, she still wanted to give this trainer of piece of her mind when she returned Pikachu. She told herself she would help the yellow mouse return him to the trainer if he really wanted to.

Five of minutes after waiting with Professor Rowan, Dawn saw the assistant bringing back Pikachu with a few bandages around his left arm. She could not help but feel sorry for the little Pokémon. She ran and cut the distance between her and the assistant.

"How are you feeling, Pikachu?" Dawn asked smiling brightly.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed happily while raising both his arms.

Dawn giggled at his response. She gladly accepted the Electric-type when the assistant offered him to her.

"He seems to be doing a lot better now," Rowan concluded. He thanked the assistant and told her she could take an early lunch break before turning his attention back to the blue-haired teen. "What do you plan on doing now, Dawn?"

"I promised myself I would help Pikachu get back to his trainer if he wanted to." She quickly looked down to see the yellow mouse nodding eagerly. "I guess I'll be doing that then," she told the older professor.

Professor Rowan nodded. "I suggest you head towards Twinleaf Town," he stated. "You told me Pikachu was heading in that direction when you first met him, correct?"

Dawn nodded thinking he was recalling the conversation they had when Pikachu was being attended to.

"Then I think that would be a good place to start."

 _"_ _It works for me. Now I can go home and show my mom my first Pokémon like I was going to do before, and I can find this bad trainer and teach him a lesson…or her a lesson. I think it's a boy, so I'll just say him until I know."_ Dawn smiled and thanked Rowan before heading out the building.

Professor Rowan sighed as she exited the building.

"Professor?" An assistant tapped his shoulder.

"Yes, what I can do for you?"

"You have a phone call arriving from Kanto," the assistant stated.

"Samuel is on the line?" Professor Rowan asked rhetorically. He knew the only person that called him from Kanto was Professor Oak. He walked over to the monitor and saw Professor Oak smiling at him. "Ah, Samuel! How may I help you today?"

 **XxXxXxX**

"I think he landed somewhere in the forest heading to Sandgem Town," Ash said. He arrived on the docks forty-five minutes after leaving on Flygon from the ship. When he reached the small port, Ash gave Flygon another Sitrus Berry before sending it back to Drew. He then began running to make his way towards Twinleaf Town which was not too far from where he was. Ash was walking through Twinleaf Town when he concluded that Pikachu might be somewhere in the forest. "Knowing Pikachu, though," the trainer continued, "he'd know I would've found a way to get here, so he would've came this way to meet me."

Like Pikachu remembered about Sandgem Town, Ash recalled Twinleaf Town in the same manner. The small town was like its appearance from a few months ago. The fresh scent of new leaves in the air and the area was very green. Ash thought it looked greener than before if possible. However, he did not see any sign of Pikachu and sighed.

 _"_ _That means something else happened when he was making his way,"_ Ash concluded disappointingly. He then began treading down the forest path towards Sandgem Town. "Don't worry, buddy. I'm on my way."

 **XxXxXxX**

"So that Pikachu belongs to a trainer named Ash?" Professor Rowan assessed.

Professor Oak nodded. "I'm surprised you didn't meet him when he was there a few months back."

"No, he never arrived in my laboratory."

"Strange," Oak stated curiously. "Ash usually visits each professor when going to a new region."

"You can bring up the topic with him later, Samuel," Professor Rowan interjected hastily. "I need to see if I can catch up with the girl that wants to return Pikachu to him."

"Yes, of course. You said her name was Dawn…?"

"Yes, and I'll call you back with the details later."

The Sinnoh professor said a quick goodbye before hanging up the phone and running towards the door. He opened the doors and looked for any sign of the blue-haired teen. Unfortunately, there was no one in sight, and Professor Rowan knew he was too late. He sighed frustratingly before turning back into the lab.

"All that poetry caused Samuel to tell a whole story rather than getting to the point," he analyzed. "I'd better tell him I wasn't able to transfer the message."

 **XxXxXxX**

"So, are you sure you want to go back with your trainer?" Dawn asked curiously as she pedaled away from Sandgem Town. She had just entered the forest when she questioned Pikachu.

Pikachu whirled his head around and nodded to her. He wondered why she would ask such a question but could not think of reason.

"Alright, if you say so…"

Dawn focused on the road and smiled. She thought about everything that happened on her first day on her journey. She received her first Pokémon from Professor Rowan and helped a hurt Pokémon she found on her way home.

 _"_ _This isn't so bad for my first day,"_ she smiled brightly. However, her expression changed to a serious one. Dawn glanced down at Pikachu sitting peacefully in her basket and still did not like the idea of returning him to a "bad" trainer. She decided she would be sure and ask the Electric-type once more. "Pikachu, are you sure you—,"

"Pika!" Pikachu interrupted her pointing forward towards the road.

Dawn quickly looked up but saw nothing. She did not find what he was pointing at until it was too late. She saw a clear, white line going from one side of the road to the other. It was at least two feet from the ground and thick. Dawn immediately applied the brakes on the bike, but the tire already had collided with it—flipping the bike, Dawn, and Pikachu in the process. She landed harshly against the ground and rolled a few feet away from the crash site. Dawn struggled to get up feeling pain a lot in her knee. She glanced at her leg and noticed a large scrape on her right knee. She grimaced at the sight before slowly rising to stand. The blue-haired teen looked for Pikachu, but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, she heard a hissing sound coming from the trees. She rapidly scouted the area with her eyes but saw nothing. However, a large, red spider jumped from the tree and startled Dawn. She concluded this was making the strange noise.

"Aria!" The Pokémon exclaimed.

Dawn was terrified as the menacing red Pokémon approached her slowly. But, her eyes widened when she remembered someone who could help her. She quickly glanced to her left and saw her bag on the floor. She knew what to do, but she needed to wait for the right moment.

"Dos!" Said the Pokémon as it fired a string of web towards the blue-haired teen.

 _"_ _Now is my chance!"_ Dawn ducked, barely dodging the attack, and ran to her bag. She briskly opened it and pulled out a Poké ball. "Yes! Go, Piplup!" She said throwing the capsule in the air. Out came the little, blue Pokémon.

"Pip piplup!" Piplup stated proudly. However, his expression turned to one of nervousness as he viewed his opponent.

"You can do it, Piplup!" Dawn encouraged.

The red spider fired another string of web, but this time towards the Water Pokémon.

"Dodge it!" She commanded.

Piplup shook off his initial nerves and quickly jumped to dodge the attack.

"Now use Bubble!"

The Water-type opened his mouth and bubbles were sent flying to the spider. The attack landed directly against its face causing the Pokémon to scurry away.

"Alright! Yeah!" Dawn exclaimed happily with her victory. It was her first successful battle. She ran towards Piplup, who standing with his hands on his hips confidently, and gave him a big hug. "You did it, Piplup!"

He merely nodded cockily while accepting her praise. Unfortunately, the celebration did not last long.

Suddenly, Dawn could hear hissing sounds coming from every direction in every tree. She let go of Piplup and quickly looked around. In an instance, six more red spiders jumped from the trees and landed in front of her and her Pokémon. She was about to call an attack when one of the red Pokémon fired an array of purple stingers that hit Piplup directly.

"No!" Dawn yelled as she knelt to attend to her Pokémon. He was awake, but he did not seem to have any energy left to stand. Dawn noticed all six of the spiders mouths open and knew they were going to launch another attack on them. She clutched Piplup tightly and shut her eyes forcefully to wait for the attacks. But they never came. Instead, she heard an explosion occur in front of her between the red Pokémon. She opened her eyes slowly and joyfully smiled when she saw who was in the middle. It was Pikachu. She opened her mouth to acknowledge him when a strong voice cut her off.

"Alright, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika-CHU!" Pikachu roared as he jumped and fired the attack. The Thunderbolt collided with all the spiders, and they all rapidly turned around to get away from the strong mouse.

Dawn had whirled her head to see who called out the move and could not believe her eyes. She looked to Pikachu as he performed the move and could not register that the powerful attack came from the small Pokémon. Now, though, she was staring again at the strong trainer mesmerizingly. Her gaze was broken, however, when Pikachu spoke to her.

"Pikachu," Pikachu smiled.

"Oh," Dawn blinked her eyes before smiling brightly once more. "Thank you so much, Pikachu!" She praised. "I thought I was done right now."

"I don't think Pikachu would've forgave himself if he let something like that happen to you," the strong trainer said as he approached them. He knelt next to her and noticed her confused expression. "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Ash Ketchum. Pikachu, here, is my best friend." He patted the Electric-type's head causing the mouse to smile with glee.

Dawn's confused expression turned to one of anger. "So, you're the one who left Pikachu in the forest hurt!"

Ash remained calm and replied. "How about I tell you what happened after I help you and your Piplup, huh?"

After hearing Piplup's name, she immediately focused her attention on the blue Pokémon. "I have to get him to the Pokémon Centre! He's hurt and—"

"No need to worry, Dawn," Ash stated trying to calm her down. "I can help him if you let me."

"Y-You can?"

"Yeah." Ash opened his bag and pulled out some supplies. He gently grabbed Piplup from a stunned Dawn and applied the medicine. Within seconds, the Sinnoh starter slowly blinked his eyes with energy.

Dawn smiled. "Piplup! You're okay!"

"Pip," Piplup stated while patting his chest.

Ash then pulled a few berries from his bag. "Here," he offered. "These will give you your strength back after that intense battle."

Piplup gladly accepted the food and instantly felt better. He rolled off Ash's arms to stand proudly.

Dawn giggled at his expression before turning back to the trainer who was smiling at the Pokémon. _"Is he really a bad trainer if he's like this?"_ She looked to Pikachu who was playing with Piplup now. _"Pikachu doesn't seem scared by him…"_

"Now it's time to take care of you," Ash interrupted her thoughts.

"W-What? I don't need tending to," she argued.

"That knee says otherwise."

Dawn became conscious of her knee which caused the pain to return. She cringed as she felt it stronger than before.

"Your adrenaline from the battle must be wearing off," Ash commented.

"My what?" Dawn asked.

Ash chuckled. "The excitement from the battle caused you to forget about your pain for a while. But, now that the battle is over, it's coming back and much worse, I bet."

Dawn nodded understandingly.

He pulled out some disinfectant from his bag. "This might hurt a little…"

"What! Then don't put it on!" She argued.

Ash grinned. "I have to or else it might get infected. You don't want your mom to get mad, right?"

Dawn blinked at him questioningly. "You know my mom?"

"No," he lied. "But I just assume every mom would be concerned for her child's safety, right?"

 _"_ _Dang, he's right,"_ Dawn agreed mentally. "A-Alright, but go easy, okay?"

"How about we do this," Ash thought he'd suggest. "You can grab onto my arm and squeeze it as hard as you can when you're feeling pain. Deal?"

"You want me to hurt you? Is that what you're saying?"

"I mean you can try…"

Dawn stared at his muscular arms and blushed at the thought of hanging onto to one tightly. _"I've never hugged another boy before—especially one as strong as him. Kenny is not even close to his size."_ She then thought it might be a way to get back Ash. _"I can use this chance to hurt him like he left Pikachu…he said he'd tell me the full story after, but this might be my only chance. Yeah! I'll do that…I wonder if he'd suspect I'm squeezing him tightly on purpose."_

 _"_ _She's gonna try and hurt me…"_ Ash sighed mentally. _"I can tell by the expression on her face. It's the same way she looked at me when she thought I burned her poffins a few years back. Piplup used a 'bad timing' Bubblebeam as I was getting out of the shower to get back at me…in my defense, though, I thought she was talking to Pikachu. I told her not to leave me alone while she went shopping with her mom…I wonder why she's mad at me this time."_ Ash urged her to latch onto his arm.

Still flushed from her face, Dawn slowly brought her hands around the trainer's bicep.

"You have a good grip?"

"To be honest, it's kinda, um, hard because your arm are pretty big…" She looked away while blushing.

 _"_ _Oh, great…you've done it now, Ash,"_ the trainer scolded himself. "Alright, just hold on tight."

"Why don't you just—AAHHHH!" She yelled never finishing her statement as Ash poured the liquid on her knee. Dawn squeezed his arm extremely hard; she was really trying to hurt him now—if not for Pikachu, then just to get back at him for doing this.

"There." Ash finished. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Easy for you to say," she pouted. "You weren't the one receiving the disinfectant."

"No, but you were hanging on to arm pretty hard."

"Oh," Dawn said sincerely. She realized she kind of overdid it seeing her nail imprints in his arm. Ironically, she apologized. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

Ash raised his hand to stop her and smiled. "No need to worry, Dawn. I told you it was okay."

 _"_ _I say that a lot, too…"_ Dawn slightly smiled at him before realizing something. "Um, how do you know my name? I don't think I told you when we met…"

Ash grinned. "Pikachu told me," he lied again. _"Well, in a way he did since I didn't know he was with you,"_ he contemplated.

"You can talk to Pokémon?" Dawn asked astonishingly.

"With Pikachu, I guess you can say that," he admitted. "More like I understand how my Pokémon are feeling I can make a strong interpretation of what they are trying to tell me."

"But you said Pikachu told you my name, so you can definitely do it."

"Like I said, it's more of thing with Pikachu than any other Pokémon." After hearing his name, Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder. "I'm just really close to him, that's all. He's been with me since the start of my journey."

Dawn stared him thoughtfully and sighed. _"There's no way he can be a bad person,"_ she admitted. _"He cares too much about Pokémon and people to be…but I still want to hear the story about they got separated."_

Ash, suddenly, stood up and extended his hand out to her. "Come on. I'll take you home, so you rest for a bit."

"You know where I live?"

"No," he lied, "but I'm willing to guess you're from Twinleaf Town."

"Y-Yeah, I am."

"So, I'll walk you home. I'm heading back that way, anyways."

 _"_ _He is a nice person."_ Dawn smiled. "Okay, but let me just grab my bike, so we can go!"

Ash's eyes went wide as she turned to get her bike. He quickly glanced at Pikachu who was covering his own eyes from embarrassment.

"Aahh!" Dawn yelled looking at her charred cycle. "What happened to my bike?!"

Pikachu hid his face furtherly in his hands ashamed he still had a thing for destroying his female companions' bikes. There really are some things that time travel could not change.

 **Alright, that's the end of this chapter. I made this one longer than the other one because I start my summer semester in a week, so I wanted to make it good for you all. Hopefully, it's getting better and better for you all to read.**

 **As far as the suggestions the comments are, I guess I would be open to the idea of making it a love triangle thing. The only problem is I personally don't have any real-life experience (and never will) with it, so I'm not sure how to write one; meaning it probably won't come out as great as you all want it to be. I've never encountered a story—or should I say a good story—with the same relationships to go off, as well. I'll have to think about it…**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If you did, let me know what you liked so that I could do more; if you didn't, let me know so that I could improve on.**

 **-RedHood06**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

 **Chapter 12**

The ship's horn rang loudly throughout the port as it safely docked.

"Thank you for your patience," the captain's voice announced over the monitor. "We hope you enjoyed the cruise and hope you enjoy your stay here in Twinleaf Town. Please follow the attendants' instructions as you exit the ship. Thank you."

"Alright, everyone," said a man in the attendant's uniform near the exit ramp. He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Please walk as you are leaving. We don't want anyone to get hurt, so please no running. And exit in an orderly fashion." Despite the worker's guidelines, May and Drew were moving quickly through the crowd going down the ramp.

"Excuse me," May would say getting through people. She bumped into a few individuals while trying to make her way. "Pardon me…sorry, I'm just in a rush…can you move—thanks."

Drew was following closely behind her and would receive the angry looks from the people she was hitting. "Sorry about her," he told them with a nervous grin. "She just, uh, really has to use the bathroom…when you gotta go, you gotta go, you know?" The people would then nod in understanding and smile at Drew to which he would sigh in relief.

When they reached the docks, May and Drew began looking to see if they could find Ash. But he was nowhere to be seen.

"He said he'd be here when we docked," she sighed frustratingly. She then turned to Drew with a stony look. "We should've taken Flygon when it got back to the ship. We might've gotten here sooner if we did…"

"May," Drew began to defend himself, "it took Flygon almost two hours to drop off Ketchum and come back. We were only an hour away when it finally showed up on the ship. It wouldn't have been worth it to put Flygon through that kind of strain. You know Ketchum would've have thought the same."

May sighed once more. She knew he was right.

"May? Is that you?"

The brunette quickly whirled her head after hearing her name. Her irritated expression turned into a bright smile when she saw the breeder standing behind her.

"Brock!" May exclaimed happily as she gave him a quick hug. She let him go before she continued. "I didn't think I'd see you here…well, here in the port, that is."

"Same here," Brock said with a confused expression. "I thought you'd be in Johto right now competing in the Pokémon Contests with your rivals…though, it seems like you all decided to come to Sinnoh instead," he noted after seeing the green-haired teen standing behind her. "How've you been, Drew?"

Drew flicked his hair. "I've been fine. I'm just trying to be—,"

"We can skip the introductions for later," May sternly interrupted him. She turned to Brock again. "Have you seen Ash around?"

"No," he said while shaking his head. "I was actually going to look for him while I headed to Twinleaf Town. I always end up finding him somewhere. We could look together if you want? Unless you and Drew want to leave already to register for the contests. I could tell Ash that I saw you here in the Sinnoh Region. I'm sure he'd be surprised to hear that."

"Huh?" May questioned. She then realized what he was trying to say and wanted to clarify the misunderstanding. "Oh, no, I'm not here traveling with Drew," she stated, waving her hands frantically to dismiss the idea. "I actually came here with Ash."

"Okay, now I'm confused," Brock said while crossing his arms. "Why isn't Ash with you then?"

May proceeded to tell him the events that occurred on the ship. She began from the moment that Ash and Drew battled to when Ash flew on Flygon to go look for Pikachu. She glossed over eating lunch with Drew since it was irrelevant.

Brock clenched fists infuriatedly. "So, Team Rocket is here the Sinnoh Region, too…those three never learn," he commented before continuing. "You said Ash promised to be here by the time you guys arrived, right?"

May frowned and nodded.

"Okay, so that means something else must've happened. Ash is not one to say one thing and do another."

"If that's so, then we should go look for him," Drew interjected.

Brock and May both nodded in agreement.

They all turned to head to Twinleaf Town when someone called out to them.

"Excuse me," exclaimed a womanly voice from behind. They all looked to see a woman with short, red hair that came down to her neck standing close to them. She was wearing a stripped white and grey dress with white boots that came up to her knees. However, her most distinct feature seemed to be her eyes. They were beautifully sharp and piercing red, which allured the trio's focus. "Are you Drew?" She asked politely to the green-haired teen.

"Wow!" Brock answered before Drew could say anything. He pushed him aside and swiftly grabbed the woman's hands. "Yes, he's Drew, but let's not waste time talking about him," Brock continued with an adored expression. "Let's talk how beautiful destiny is for bringing us together at this very moment. Our love for each other will be brighter than those gorgeous eyes of yours!"

The woman laughed nervously as she pulled her hands away from the breeder. "I think it's just my eyes and my destiny that will be bright…"

"Aaahhh!" Brock said as grabbed his chest with his right hand. He slumped and put his head down. "Rejected and I haven't even reached the first town yet…"

Drew cautiously moved a sulking Brock out of his way to walk up to the mysterious woman. "I'd apologize for his behavior, but I don't know him good enough to say if he was joking or he really meant it…anyways, like he said I'm Drew…and you are?"

"Oh, my name is not important," the woman said smiling while dismissing the question. Her smile was just as sharp as her eyes. "I'm here to take you to see your uncle. He wants to see you."

"My uncle?"

"Yes," she replied seriously. "He heard you were coming to town and instructed me to find you when you arrived. And he wants to see you right away, so if you don't mind…" She stepped aside and urged him by gesturing with her arm to walk with her.

Drew was about to follow her when he remembered what he was going to do. He turned and viewed May smiling at him.

"It's okay, Drew," she reassured with a soft smile. May put a hand on his shoulder as she continued. "I'll tell Ash that you had do something with your family. He'll understand."

He thought about what she said before smirking and flicking his hair. "Alright. Tell Ketchum I'm really sorry for what happened, and I guess I'll see you at the first Pokémon Contest."

"I'll be ready!" May grinned confidently as she removed her hand.

With that Drew followed the red-haired woman in the opposite direction of his rival. In a few minutes, the two were lost in the crowd and out of their sight.

May watched them disappear before shaking her head to focus again.

"Let's go, Brock," she said to her heartbroken friend. "Ash is in trouble."

"How can you tell?" The breeder asked as he regained his composure. They began running towards Twinleaf Town at full speed as May responded.

"I don't know but…I just do."

 **XxXxXxX**

 _"_ _Ow!"_ Ash mentally yelled as he received a fifth blow to his leg. _"This stupid bike keeps hitting my shin with the pedal_!" After apologizing to Dawn for Pikachu destroying her bicycle, Ash volunteered to carry it back to her house. He told her it was the least he could do to repay her. However, he was regretting even asking because the pedal kept hitting his shin as he carried the bike under his right arm. It wasn't that each blow hurt a lot, but it kept hitting one spot and the pain was adding up. _"Crap!"_ Ash complained as he took another hit. _"Dang it, Pikachu. We're gonna have a talk about this 'destroying people's bike' thing later…"_

"We're almost there, Ash," Dawn said interrupting his thoughts. "It should take us another ten minutes to get there."

"Great…" Ash grunted.

"So," she started as she viewed Pikachu and Piplup walking ahead of them down the path. "This 'Team Rocket' you talked about—do they really try and take other people's Pokémon for themselves?"

Ash knew she was recalling them from the story he told her on how he and Pikachu were separated. "Yeah, it's like their job or something," he said bluntly while looking at her. "They've been trying to take Pikachu ever since I've started my journey."

"That's awful!" Dawn exclaimed angrily looking at Ash.

"You're telling me," he responded. "It's annoying that they keep trying."

"I didn't want to believe people actually did stuff like that…I can't imagine anything like that happening to me." She turned her attention back to the walking Pokémon and frowned. "I just got Piplup, but I already feel so attached to him," she said softly. "I don't know what I'd do if someone tried taking him away from me…"

"If it makes you feel any better, Team Rocket isn't good at what they do," he stated truthfully. "You have a better chance of scaring them with a Burmy than getting your Pokémon taken away by them."

Dawn giggled at the thought of people being afraid of such a small, harmless Pokémon.

Ash smiled as he got her to think of something else. He then thought of something that might work.

"But…if you're still worried about them, you could travel with us," he suggested nonchalantly.

Dawn stopped laughing after hearing his words. She took in every word carefully before replying. "You want me to travel with you?" She asked curiously. Everything seemed to slow around her as she waited for his response.

"I mean, if you want to."

"Y-You mean just you and me traveling the Sinnoh Region?" A blush slowly emerged on her face. _"How I can go from hating this person at one moment to feeling flustered in another? I've spent less than two hours with him, but…I don't even know how to describe it. It feels like I've known him for years…"_

Ash could tell she was thinking but decided to answer her anyways. "Uh, no, it wouldn't just be you and me," he clarified. "I'm traveling with another friend…or at least I think I still am."

"You don't know if traveling with someone else?" Dawn eyed the trainer curiously. She broke her thoughts and concentrated on him once he began to speak.

"It's complicated," Ash stated while scratching his chin. He smiled to himself when he thought of another way to convince her. "But, I'll find out when we get to Twinleaf Town. She's probably waiting for me at the port right now. I'm sure she's in a rush to sign up for the Sinnoh Contests…I'm not sure she'll be happy if—,"

"Wait!" Dawn yelled as she stepped in front of him. "Your friend is a coordinator?"

"Yeah…is that a problem?"

"No, I'm gonna start my journey as a coordinator!" She exclaimed happily, placing a hand on her chest to emphasis she was.

"Really?" Ash tried to act surprised. "I would've never guessed you were one."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing. I'm just not good at reading people," he lied.

"Oh," Dawn relaxed, stepping away from him. She then began to bombard Ash with questions about his friend as she moved aside to continue making their way. "Has she competed in other regions before?"

"Yes."

"Has she won any Grand Festivals?"

"No, but she's come pretty close."

"What's her name?"

"May."

"Her full name, Ash."

 _"_ _Dawn is pushy this time around."_ Ash briefly glanced at her before speaking. "May Maple. She's from the Hoenn Region."

"Ahhh!" Dawn squealed loudly, causing Ash to flinch from the sudden outburst. "Your friends with May Maple—the Princess of Hoenn!"

"Yeah…people call her that?"

"Yes, now stay focused!"

Dawn then proceeded to ask Ash more questions until they reached her house. And even then, she was still talking about May.

Ash saw the familiar house and sighed in relief. It had been the longest ten minutes he had ever spent with Dawn—in both his lives, he concluded. He placed the bike on the side of the building and could still hear her talk. He had mostly stopped paying attention after she began talking about how they could learn from each other. Dawn described how May could teach her based on experience and how she could teach the brunette based on wisdom Dawn received from her famous, coordinator mother. Overall, Ash had a headache and was tired of hearing about coordinating. It wasn't until they were standing on the porch and Dawn asked her last question that he concentrated on her again.

"So, is she your girlfriend?"

"My what?" Ash turned around carefully to regard her.

Dawn crossed her arms and smiled coyly. "Yeah, your girlfriend."

"No," he said bluntly.

"Really?" She stated in disbelief. "I think you'd be lucky to have May as your girlfriend. From everything that you've been telling me, she's perfect…not to mention you're not bad yourself…" She muttered the last sentence to herself.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Dawn said, grinning nervously and waving her arms to dismiss him. "Nothing important."

"I knew I heard talking coming from outside," a voice interrupted as the front door opened. A woman, who Ash knew as Dawn's mother, was smiling and looking towards Dawn. "I thought you'd be back earlier, but I see you've been busy…" She glanced over to Ash as she finished. "Hi, I'm Dawn's mom, but you can call me Joanna!"

Ash grinned and extended his hand to greet the older woman. "It's nice to meet you. Dawn talked about you the whole way here."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said running up the porch and onto his trainer's shoulder.

"Oh, and this is Pikachu," Ash continued while patting his best friend.

Joanna had accepted Ash's hand and greeted Pikachu with kindness.

"I met Ash when I was on my way back," Dawn explained to her mom. She smiled and jumped when she remembered about Piplup. "Oh, mom, I got my first Pokémon from Professor Rowan!"

"That's great, Dawn," Joanna exclaimed happily. "Who did you choose?"

"Piplup!" She replied. She then looked around to see if the little Pokémon was near, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Um, he was around here somewhere…Pikachu, where were you guys playing?"

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and ran down the porch. Everyone followed closely behind the mouse as he went towards the garden off their left. To their surprise, they found Piplup leaning against the home sound asleep.

Joanna giggled as she saw Piplup's nose bubble grow and shorten as he breathed. "I think he's going to like it here."

Dawn walked over to Piplup and picked him up.

"Come on," Joanna continued as her daughter made her way back. "Let's go inside, so you could all get some rest. What do you say, Ash? How about you come in for a while and relax before you head out?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I really have to go," Ash said sincerely. He allowed Pikachu to jump once again on his shoulder before continuing. "I really have to get to the port to meet up with my friend."

"I understand." The older blue-haired woman sounded disappointed.

"Mom, he's going to meet up with May Maple!" Dawn interjected. "Remember she's the coordinator from the Kanto Grand Festival we saw a few months ago on tv!"

Joanna's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, that's a very talented friend you have there, Ash," she told the trainer. "Is she going to enter the Sinnoh Contests?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "Most of her rivals are competing in the Johto Region, and she wanted to try something new, so she came here."

"Well, she has a rival in me!" Dawn said confidently, still holding a sleeping Piplup in her arms. "I won't go easy on her!"

Joanna grinned at her daughter's enthusiasm. She then thought of an idea. "Why don't you bring May back here to rest, Ash?" She suggested. "You said she was waiting for you at the port, so I'm sure she'd like to relax after a long trip before you both head out. What do you say…?"

Ash scratched his cheek as he contemplated her suggestion. He knew May wouldn't object to the idea resting for a bit, but _he_ really wanted to get going already. He felt like he wasted enough time with everything that's happened today. However, Ash took too long to decide that Dawn answered for him.

"He'll be back with May when he finds her," she estimated. Her comment earned her honest expressions from her mom and Ash. She merely smiled at their responses. "They have to come back, so we could all leave together!"

"You're going to travel with them?" Joanna asked curiously.

Dawn nodded happily. "Yeah. Ash offered me the chance to go with them, and I think it's the best thing for me to do…"

"That's great to hear, honey."

Ash was slightly surprised at first, but then he realized his plan worked and congratulated himself mentally on a good job.

"Okay," he spoke up. "I'll be back in a little bit, then."

"We'll wait for you here, okay?" Dawn said.

Ash nodded and began making his way with Pikachu to go find May.

"Don't take so long!" Dawn yelled to Ash and Pikachu as they distanced themselves.

"Dawn, don't act like that," Joanna scolded her daughter. "He just became your friend and you're treating him in that way."

The young blue-haired teen's expression turned to a soft one as she regarded her mom. "It's weird, mom," she began in low tone. "There's something about him that seems so familiar and…so comforting. It's hard to describe in words, but…I don't know."

"Okay, let's go inside and you can explain this 'weird' feeling," Joanna suggested with sly smile.

"It's not like that, mom," Dawn said, noting the look she was receiving.

"Whatever you say, dear," the older woman teased as they began making their way back to the house. "I saw the way you kept glancing at him…"

"Mom!"

"Hey, I'm just saying what I see."

Dawn sighed. "Well, it's kinda hard not to look. He's just so mesmerizing to look at…"

Joanna laughed at her daughter's honesty. "I understand, dear," she admitted as she thought of how strong the trainer appeared physically. "Not many boys around his age look like he does. He must've worked hard to get like that."

"Yeah, he probably did…" Dawn said thoughtfully. She then shook her head to clear her thoughts. "There's no worry about stuff like that right now, though. I'm, more focused on winning Sinnoh Contests!"

 _"_ _That's my girl,"_ Joanna thought proudly.

"Besides," the teen continued. "I think he likes May but won't admit it."

"True, that's a possibility," her mom stated as she put a hand on her cheek. They began to walk back to the house when she came to a conclusion. "She could be his girlfriend."

"He said she wasn't."

"How personal did you both get coming back home?" Joanna questioned as she opened the door to the house.

"Somewhat personal," Dawn replied as entered her home with Piplup. She could smell the lunch her mom had been preparing and breathed in deeply. "It's kinda a long story."

Her mom responded as she closed the door. "Well, we've got some time, so start explaining."

 **XxXxXxX**

"Where could he be…" May muttered to herself worryingly.

"We'll find him, May," Brock reassured his friend.

After arriving in Twinleaf Town fifteen minutes ago, May and Brock had been searching for any sign of Ash and Pikachu. The town was not big, but it was very spread out—the houses and other buildings weren't close to each other which made it difficult for them to scout the entire town quickly. So far, they have had no luck.

They began to ask people if they had seen Ash around to get some help. May would describe his appearance because she knew it would be very distinguishable to other things. Brock was going to ask her if Ash was really the way she made him out to be but thought if they found Ash, he'd find out then. Many people said they saw someone pass by not too long ago with the description but didn't know where he went. They admitted to May and Brock that he looked intimidating to stare at, so they didn't bother paying attention in order not to cause trouble with him. It was after asking ten individuals that they decided to take a break and sit on a nearby bench.

"If anything, Ash will find us," Brock stated, patting her back to comfort her. He could tell it wasn't working and decided the only thing to do was to continue looking. "Come on," the breeder stood up determinedly. "He has to be around here somewhere. There's no way he could disappear without anyone knowing where he was heading."

May clenched her fists and stood. "You're right," she stated, knowing moping wouldn't get them anywhere. "Let's keeping looking."

The duo gathered their things and began searching for Ash and Pikachu again. May thought it would be helpful to split up and ask everyone this time. She told Brock to ask everyone that was passing by on the road and she would knock on people's homes to ask those individuals. They both agreed that they would meet up in ten minutes with their findings.

May began going door-to-door of different homes with less success than before. Nobody had seen anyone with the description she was giving them. It was until she arrived in front of a nice, brown home with beautiful off to the right that she received what she was looking for.

She sadly walked up the porch and knocked on the door. She didn't believe this house would be any different from the rest. When the door opened, May saw a blue-haired girl around her age smiling at her.

"Hi," May began, grinning slightly to be nice. "My name is May, and I'm looking for—,"

"You're May Maple!" The teen interrupted excitingly. She took a deep breath and recollected herself. "Sorry. You're looking for Ash, right?"

May's eyes quickly perked up. "You know who I'm talking about?!"

"Yeah," the blue-haired teen smiled brightly before realizing something. "Oh, I'm sorry again. My name is Dawn. I'm a friend of Ash!"

"Y-You're a friend of Ash?" May was taken back by her comment.

Dawn nodded eagerly.

The brunette, now, really viewed the girl in front of her. She admitted this girl was really beautiful and her figure was almost as developed as hers. May shook her head to clear her thoughts. _"I can't be acting like this right now,"_ She told herself. "Um, i-is he in there right now…?" She found herself nervous to know the answer to her question.

Dawn gave her a confused expression while shaking her head. "No, but that's weird," she stated. "He said he was going to look for you and come back here."

"He was going to come back here?"

"Yeah, with you," Dawn said happily. She then clasped her hands in excitement. "I'm sorry for acting like this, but I just can't believe you're here! You're a wonderful coordinator, May. One of the best according to mom!"

"O-Oh, I'm not all that," May blushed from the comments.

"Don't try to down yourself," the blue-haired teen argued while crossing her arms. "From what I've seen and from what Ash said about you, you're amazing!"

"He talked about me to you?"

"Yup," Dawn said nodding.

For some reason, this caused May to smile warmly to herself.

Dawn noted her sudden change in expression before continuing. "Yeah, I wanted to know everything about you," she shyly responded. "Since we're going to be traveling together—,"

"We are?" May asked.

"Yeah, Ash invited me to travel with you guys. He thought it would be fun for us since we're coordinators."

May smiled brightly and clasped her own hands. "You're a coordinator, too?!"

Dawn nodded eagerly once more.

"Hey, May! Did you have any luck?"

May and Dawn both whirled around to see Brock walking up to them.

"Yup!" She exclaimed. She stepped aside, so Dawn and Brock could see each other. "This is Dawn. Ash invited her to travel with us through the Sinnoh Region."

"It's nice to meet you, Dawn. My name is Brock. Any friend of Ash is a friend of mine," the breeder said with glee. "The more, the better."

"It's nice to meet you, Brock!"

"Brock is also the cook in the group," May added to Dawn.

"Oh, good," Dawn said in relief, placing a hand over her stomach. "I honestly didn't know what I was going to do about food when I was going to travel on my own."

They laughed for a bit before Brock spoke again.

"So, where's Ash and Pikachu? Are they inside?"

"No, he said he was going to look for May at the port," Dawn recalled thoughtfully. "But why don't you guys come in and wait for him here?"

"I don't know…" May contemplated as she rubbed her arm. "I mean, if he thinks I'm still over there, shouldn't we go look for him?"

"True," Brock agreed.

"I'll go with you guys to look, but we should still wait about ten minutes before we head out," Dawn suggested. "He could be on his way right now for all we know, so we better wait to make sure. There are many ways to get to the port that if we head out now and take one path, Ash could've taken a different one, passing us, and we'd just be going back and forth."

"You have a point there, Dawn," Brock admitted reluctantly. "We should wait a bit, May—just to make sure."

May sighed in frustration but agreed with her friend.

"Come on," Dawn stood aside to give her new traveling companions a path to enter her house. "We'll wait inside and rest before leaving. I could tell you how I met Ash and Pikachu."

 **XxXxXxX**

"I kinda figured she wasn't going to wait at the port for us, buddy."

"Pikachu pi pika pika pika," Pikachu told his trainer.

"Yeah, she's going to be mad at me," Ash sighed, rubbing his face against his hands before continuing. "Have you noticed that May and Dawn get angry with me easily this time around?"

Pikachu nodded, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"Let's head back to Dawn's house," Ash recommended tiredly as he stretched his arms. "We'll go get her, so we could find them together. This way, we could just leave all at once." He stretched his back. "I know I said we rest in her house for a bit, but we've wasted enough time as it is."

The duo started making their way through the port to head towards Twinleaf Town. They had entered the path outside the port when Pikachu spoke.

"Pikapi, pika pika chu pi," he said.

"True, it is odd that we didn't see May or Drew coming here," Ash concurred with his buddy. "It would've been easy to see Drew's green hair if we passed by it." He then scratched his chin before thinking out loud. "Why do you think he chose green as his hair color? I mean there's no way his hair to naturally be that color, right?"

"Pika pika pika chu pika pi pika, Pikapi."

Ash sighed. "You're right. It's his hair, and he could do whatever he wants with it."

Pikachu nodded disappointingly.

"You'd think he'd cut it, though."

Ash and Pikachu had walked another sixty feet when the sky suddenly darkened. Dark, brooding clouds were quickly covering the clear, blue sky that it was a few minutes ago. Thundering could be heard, and the wind had picked up tremendously. The trees around them appeared to be tipping over from the strong gusts. The sudden change in weather seemed suspicious to the duo.

They continued treading down the path and noticed nobody was around them—no one was in sight. Ash and Pikachu stopped and scattered the area with their eyes to search for someone but couldn't find a single person in view. They turned around to see if anyone was behind them, but it was the same scenario as it was ahead. When they turned their heads to continue down the path, however, they saw a dark-hooded figure standing ten feet away from them. Ash wasn't getting a good feeling about the person, so he was preparing for a dangerous situation—Pikachu followed suit by becoming more attentive than before. As Ash took a step forward, the dark figure mimicked his actions. The trainer stopped moving, knowing something was about to happen.

Ash got a better view of the mysterious person with the step they both took. The dark figure's face was mostly covered by the large black overcoat he was wearing, but his eyes were clearly visible and threatening. His eyes were completely white—there was no color, no emotion, or no life in them.

"Who are you?" Ash yelled to the cryptic person. "What do you want?"

"No…" the figure echoed in deep, menacing voice. "The question is who are _you_ …time-traveler…"

Ash's eyes widened and quickly grabbed a Poké ball from his waist to ready himself. Pikachu jumped from his shoulder and readied for battle.

"I'll ask again," Ash said, deepening his voice as well. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The dark figure merely put his left arm behind his back and pulled out a black Poké ball. It was surrounded and emitted in a dark aura.

 _"_ _That's not normal,"_ Ash thought, trying to think if he's seen anything like it before. _"I don't recognize his voice either."_

Rain began to vastly pour down and lightening began to strike around them occasionally.

"What I want, _Ash and Pikachu_ ," the mysterious slowly voiced. He threw is Poké ball and yelled. "IS FOR YOU TO DISAPPEAR!"

The dark Poké ball opened and showed its possession—a dark, three-headed dragon with a ferocious expression.

"RAARR!" The Pokémon raged.

Ash didn't waste any time and sent his Poké ball in the air. It opened and out came Infernape.

"Infernape!" The Fire-type exclaimed, colliding its fists together.

 _"_ _I have the advantage against his Hydreigon, but I won't go lightly,"_ Ash strategized. "Use Mach Punch!"

Infernape didn't hesitate and speedily closed the distance between it and its opponent. The Sinnoh starter's fists glowed blue as it jumped and launched the attack.

"Stop it," the dark figure countered.

Hydreigon waited for Infernape to be inches away from it before screeching loudly, discharging a powerful Hyper Voice attack. The attack instantly threw Infernape fiercely away, causing it to crash harshly against the ground. However, the Fire-type quickly rose to its feet and retreated to Ash.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FATE," he continued as he pulled out another black Poké ball and hurled it into the air. Out came a strong Automaton Pokémon.

"He sent out a Golurk." Ash eyed the still Ghost-type and could tell it was strong. "Ready, Pikachu?"

Pikachu nodded confidently. He ran next to his fellow Pokémon and waited for a command.

"Draco Meteor," the dark figure ordered.

Hydreigon fired an orange sphere into the gloomy sky. It raced for a few seconds in the air before exploding and creating hundreds of orange meteors.

"Get ready," Ash told his Pokémon. He'd never seen a Draco Meteor disperse so many spheres.

"Psychic," he called to Golurk.

Golurk lifted its heavy arms and opened its hands to use the attack. Suddenly, the spheres from the Draco Meteor were surrounded by a blue glow from the Psychic and froze in midair. Golurk then brought its arms back before launching them forward fiercely. As a result, all the orange meteors huddled together closely and raged towards a still Ash. Foreshadowing what was happening, Pikachu and Infernape fired counterattacks to intercept the attack from landing on their trainer.

"Pika-CHU!" Pikachu said while firing a powerful Thunderbolt.

"APE!" Infernape yelled while using its powerful Flamethrower. Though weakened by the rain, the fire was still tremendous.

The Electric and Fire moves fused as they headed towards the Draco Meteor. The attacks collided and instantly destroyed one another, causing a massive explosion in the area. When the dust cleared, Ash was standing strongly and unyieldingly in the same position. He had not moved even though he knew the move was coming towards him.

"A cheap move to come after me with your Pokémon," the strong trainer stated assertively. He stared the hooded figure directly in his emotionless eyes.

"As I said," the mysterious man responded coldly, "you can't escape fate, and we're here to make sure of that."

"We're?" Ash wanted answers; however, he got a different response.

The dark figure opened his white eyes widely, which caused a bright light to flash the area. Ash and his Pokémon shielded their eyes. When the flash disappeared, they noticed that the strong mystery threat was gone—along with Hydreigon and Golurk.

Ash looked around to see if they were anywhere in sight, but the field was empty. The rain and thundering had stopped as the grey clouds disappeared as well. The winds had also faltered. He gave a stern look to his Pokémon before walking up to them. Ash had taken two steps when he heard a voice rang loudly.

"This is a warning," Ash recognized the menacing voice as the man he just faced. "Fate cannot be changed, time travelers. You're not safe…nor are any of your friends…"

The raven-haired teen clenched his fists and gritted.

 _"_ _Who was that guy?"_ He asked himself as he walked over to his Pokémon who seemed to be having their own discussion. _"He just threatened me and my friends…I haven't faced someone that strong in a while."_ Ash then began to think about everything the hooded man told him. _"What did he mean 'I can't escape fate'? He also knew Pikachu and I were from the future…I need answers…my friends can be in danger because of me. Celebi needs to start explaining more than she's letting on."_

 **And that's Chapter 12 for you all. Sorry it's been a while, but you know…I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope it's getting better. I'll try my best to update as often as I can, but I started, yet, another semester of college.**

 **To clear something up, Dawn in the anime lives in Sandgem Town, but in my story, she lives in Twinleaf Town. Just thought I'd put it out there before you all point it out.**

 **Also, for those of you confused on how Ash has Infernape, in the anime Paul finds Chimchar in the wild battling when captures it. Since Paul still had a Chimchar when he met Ash, and it was his 'weakest' Pokémon in his party, it is obvious to state that he barely caught it when meeting the gang. So, I just had Ash catch it before Paul did when he went to Sinnoh.**

 **Let me know what you think. Did you like it? Not like it? I like reading what you all think. It's fun for me.**

 **Alright, that's it for me. Until next time.**

 **-RedHood06**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Pokémon.**

 **I know it's been a while since I last updated, but I'm hoping I can get back into a rhythm—a better rhythm than the one I've been on. I'm sorry that I've made you all wait.**

 **Alright, enjoy the chapter that's finally updated.**

 **Chapter 13**

"You were a famous coordinator!" May exclaimed, looking admiringly across towards the older woman Dawn was praising. She and Brock were sitting on the couch across from Dawn and Joanna as they exchanged past experiences waiting for Ash to return.

"Well I wouldn't say _famous_ , but I was pretty good at your age," Joanna stated bashfully. She crossed her arms as she continued. "Dawn and I saw your performance in the Kanto Grand Festival, and I have to say you're an amazing coordinator yourself."

May put her hands together and shyly fidgeted her fingers. "Dawn mentioned that to me earlier, and it kinda surprised me to hear other people praise me like that…thank you, Joanna. It means a lot coming from someone who's done it before."

"It's always good to hear your doing great from a professional," Brock interjected to May. "You should be proud and inspired to try harder now."

May blushed from the attention she was receiving.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you, May!" Dawn confidently stood and pumped her fists. "It might be my first time doing contests, but I've had a great teacher to show me the ropes. I'm going to win the Grand Festival year!"

"Well, I didn't come to Sinnoh to lose," May said smiling, also standing up to match Dawn. "We'll just have to wait and see when the time comes."

"Deal. We will settle this in the finals of the Grand Festival!"

Brock and Joanna could feel the tension between the two teens as they stared at one another. Joanna decided they'd be able to express themselves more if they were alone.

"Um, Brock," she spoke up unsteadily. "You were saying you like to cook?"

"Y-Yes. Yes, I do." He was feeling the uneasiness in the room as well.

"Great!" Joanna clasped her hands in excitement. "I was about to prepare dinner if you want to help…?"

"I'd love to!" Brock said as he began walking with her out of the living room. When they away from May and Dawn, he asked her if it was a good idea to leave them alone.

"Yeah," Joanna replied knowingly while briefly glancing back at the two girls. "I think it'd give them time to actually talk without any adults around. There aren't many girls here around Dawn's age, so I thought it'd be nice for her to talk with May. Besides, she knows that if she breaks something in this house there will be consequences."

Brock chuckled when he heard her threaten Dawn. He remembered how strict he was his brothers and sisters.

"Now that I think about it," he responded after reminiscing. "I don't think May spends time with girls her own age either."

"Then I think I did the right thing, don't you think?"

There was a strong silence between the two teens when they were left alone.

May was sitting and looking around the room, trying not to make eye-contact with Dawn. She couldn't think of anything to talk about besides coordinating, and she felt that they had talked about it too much already. The blunette, on the other hand, was thinking something completely different.

Dawn was resting her head on her hand on the couch-arm. She was looking attentively at the brunette and trying to figure her out—trying to read her. When her mom and Brock left them, she noticed something oddly familiar about May as if they had met before. However, Dawn could not think of any place where they could have met. She then realized she's felt this sensation once before. _"I remember feeling like this in the forest when I was walking with Ash,"_ she thought, still staring at a nervous May. _"I felt something with Ash that was so comforting and safe, and with May it's more…more like a trusting feeling. Maybe she feels the same about me…well, maybe not right now."_ Dawn noted May's attempt to avoid making eye-contact. _"I should break this awkwardness with something light and subtle…okay, I think I got it!"_

"So," she began hesitantly, instantly getting May's attention. "How long have you and Ash been going out?"

May's face extremely reddened. "W-What?!"

 _"_ _Huh, I guess that wasn't light or subtle,"_ Dawn admitted to herself after hearing her reaction. "Oh, did I say something wrong?"

May smiled shyly and waved her hands dismissively. "N-No…well, yeah, it's just that Ash and I aren't going out," she clarified while laughing nervously. "He's just a really good friend, that's all."

"Really?" Dawn replied surprisingly. "I would've never guessed that if you didn't tell me. The way you worry about him tells me otherwise."

May eyed Dawn with a blank expression. "Does it really look like that?" Her curiosity growing on the topic.

Dawn smiled slightly and nodded.

The brunette looked away and slowly began to glide her right hand up-and-down her left arm nervously. She thought if Dawn could see it without Ash even being here, it would be obvious to anyone who looked her way when they traveled.

 _"_ _Am I missing something?"_ Dawn asked herself. She thought May would have a different reaction after hearing she and Ash seemed like a couple. _"Unless,"_ the blunette began think, _"unless she doesn't like Ash…no, that can't be it. She seemed curious to know if they actually look like a couple—not to mention she's acting awkward again when I told her it did seem like it."_ Dawn's eyes widened when she figured it out.

"Um, May?"

"Yes?" May looked to Dawn and softly smiled, dismissing her initial flustered expression.

"Does Ash know you like him?"

May slightly flinched after hearing the question. She lightly grinned before responding.

"Is it really that obvious?"

 _"_ _She's not even trying to deny it. Maybe she does feel the same trusting feeling."_ Dawn gave her knowing look. "Well, yeah. You'd have to be pretty dense not to see it."

May sighed. "Yeah, I was afraid it was that obvious," she replied disappointingly. "And no, he doesn't know that I like him…or at least I think he doesn't know. Ash is one of those 'pretty dense' people you were talking about. I'm not even sure he knows what love is, actually."

"I'm not so sure about that," Dawn stated as she placed a finger on her chin, thinking about the time she spent with Ash. "He seemed like he had idea of what it was. I mean, I asked him if you were his girlfriend when we were walking in the forest, and he said no, so I think he knows something about it…at least that it has to do with another person."

"Oh…" May then gave her a confused look. "Wait, if you already knew Ash and I weren't going out, then why'd you ask me?"

Dawn sheepishly scratched her chin.

"I have to admit I forgot until now when I thought about it," she laughed nervously. "To be honest, I was trying to do something to break the silence."

May began to laugh lightly as well.

"Yeah, it was pretty awkward, huh?" She said in between laughs. "I'll admit it was getting creepy."

"Right?" Dawn agreed.

The two laughed a little longer before the blunette recollected herself and spoke up again.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up, May," she said sympathetically. She walked over to the brunette and sat next to her. "If you want, I could help you with your problem. What do you say?"

"Y-You'd really help me?" May eyed Dawn cautiously.

"Yeah! I'd love to!" She responded happily. "I mean how hard can it be, right?"

"I don't know if it's such a good idea," May contemplated. "I think I should just let things happened on their own, maybe. I've been with him for a few months and haven't had any luck so far."

"Really?" The brunette nodded. "Okay, but that's all about to change with my help. I promise!"

After mulling the proposal for a minute, May grabbed Dawn into a friendly hug, which surprised the teen. Nonetheless, she reciprocated the embrace.

"Thank you, Dawn," May said gently as she pulled away. "It's weird, being that we just met and all, but I feel like I can trust you with just about anything."

 _"_ _She does feel the same way. Does this mean anything?"_ Dawn nodded and smiled in response. "I feel the same way…just don't think this means I'll go easy on you in the contests! That promise is different from this one!"

May smirked. "Of course, it is!"

They both laughed, having fun in a way neither of them has ever had before.

 _CRACK!_

"What was that?" May stopped worryingly when a loud noise echoed the house. "It sounded like thunder…" She answered herself and quickly walked over to the window and peeked through the curtains. She was stunned to see the wind blowing fiercely, heavy rain pouring down harshly, and lightning striking dangerously every few seconds.

Dawn walked over and saw for herself.

"It was just sunny a few moments ago," she stated in amazement, taking in the scenery. "That's so weird…I didn't see any clouds when I was walking home with-,"

"ASH!" May exclaimed, cutting her off. She hastily grabbed her bag and ran towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Dawn frantically asked.

"Ash and Pikachu are still out there!" May turned the handle and opened the door, which caused the strong winds to enter the house. She narrowed her eyes as the strong, freezing air hit her face and blew her hair back.

"Wait, May!" Dawn said as she covered her eyes with arms.

"Don't try to stop me, Dawn!"

"I'm not—I'm coming with you!"

"No one is going anywhere!" Joanna yelled to the girls as she entered the living room. "It's too dangerous to go out right now!"

"She's right, May!" Brock agreed as swiftly made his way to shut the door.

"But what about Ash and Pikachu?!" May argued.

"I'm just as concerned as you are, but they'll be fine," Brock answered calmly while locking the door. "You and I both know they've been in tougher situations before. There's no need to worry about them. Besides, it wouldn't do us any good if we got caught in the storm, too."

"But…" May couldn't think of anything to counter him. She knew he was right; she knew they were right, and there was no way they would let her leave the house. She merely slumped her head and shoulders in defeat and began walking towards the couch.

Dawn quickly wrapped an arm around her, trying to comfort her.

"Come on," she said in soft voice. She helped May and began leading her out of the room. "Let's go to my room to fix your hair. The air really messed it up."

May nodded uncaringly.

"Then you can do my hair 'cause it's your fault I look like a Bidoof's chin."

"What's a Bidoof?" Brock and Joanna heard May ask as they left room.

"A Pokémon you don't wanna look like…"

Joanna sighed. "I can tell you are going to have trouble with these teens."

"It wouldn't be a journey with Ash if there was no trouble," Brock commented knowingly.

"So, I'm guessing he makes your life interesting?"

"Yeah, but it's not like he goes looking for trouble. It just seems to…"

"Find him?" Joanna finished as Brock trailed off.

"Yeah…" He slowly walked over to the door, realizing something odd. "Do you hear that?"

The woman listened intently but couldn't hear anything. She shook her head to the curious breeder.

"Exactly." Brock slowly opened the door and was in disbelief. The storm had stopped completely. The sky was clear, and the sun was shining brightly. There was no wind blowing or grey cloud in sight.

Joanna could not believe the scene. She could not think of anything to say, so she just stared in awe.

 _"_ _I would be wrong to think you weren't involved in this, Ash,"_ Brock thought to himself. _"What's going on?"_

 **XxXxXxX**

"Ah-CHOO!"

"Pika."

"Thanks, buddy." Ash wiped his nose with the towel in his hands. He pulled it out to dry himself and Pikachu after getting wet from the storm. Granted, Ash's clothes were still soaked, but they were drying fast with the intense heat of the sun.

He and Pikachu hadn't said much after the incident with the mysterious figure. They were walking side-by-side and were still trying to comprehend what exactly happened. The battle was so fast it was difficult to breakdown the details. The Pokémon were so strong and rare in this region that it would not be difficult to know who would be capable of using them in that way, but it would be hard to track the person down. However, Ash and Pikachu both knew one thing for certain—somebody knows who they really are.

They were a few feet away from Dawn's house when Ash spoke to Pikachu.

"So," he began in a low tone, "what are we gonna tell them?"

"Pika Pikachu pika pika," Pikachu suggested.

"You think they'd believe us if we just said we got caught up in the storm coming back?"

Pikachu nodded.

"True. They don't really have anything to be suspicious about." Ash took off his hat and scratched his hair. He sighed loudly before continuing. "I guess I'm just being a little paranoid, is all. I…I'm just still trying to figure out how that guy knew who we were. And he said _we're,_ so does that mean there are more people that know or was he referring to his Pokémon? Celebi should be the only one that knows about us."

"Pikachu pika kapi, Pikapi."

"Yeah, it should be something we ask her about. We should know everything that's going on if we're gonna do this," Ash sternly finished.

The duo walked up the porch and knocked on the door. They were surprised when it opened and saw their old companion smiling at them.

"Brock?" Ash questioned curiously, trying to be sure.

"Hey, Ash!" Brock said happily.

As soon as the breeder said Ash's name, footsteps could be heard rushing to the door. Both May and Dawn pushed Brock away from the entrance, causing him to fall over. May, however, was the first to see Ash and spoke.

"Ash!" She exclaimed gladly, strongly resisting the urge to embrace him. "I wa—I-I mean, we were so worried about you! Are you all right?"

Dawn noted her mishap and smiled to herself. _"Way to be subtle, May…"_

"May?" Was all Ash could say. He was still trying to understand how was Brock here.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cut off his trainer and jumped towards May.

"Pikachu, you're okay!" She said as caught him and gave him a tight hug. "I'm happy to see that you're all right after blasting off from the ship!"

"Wait a second," Ash interrupted as he rubbed his hands against his head before continuing to May. "I'm confused. Can you please explain to me how this happened? How did you meet up with Brock, and how did you both end up at Dawn's house? And where's Drew…you know what, scratch that last question—I don't care about him."

May smiled brightly and looked adoringly at his flustered expression.

"It's okay, Ash," she reassured him as she gripped his hand, pulling him gently inside. "Come inside, and I'll explain everything."

Ash sighed as he entered the house and shut the door.

In a few minutes, they were all sitting in the living room as May explained the events leading up to the present situation. She had given Pikachu to Dawn, who was also happy to see the yellow mouse come back, while she clarified everything to Ash. After ten minutes of describing everything in detail, Ash pondered the information before speaking.

"Okay, I think I got it," he began, mainly talking to himself. "Basically, you and Drew found Brock at the port, and then Drew left to see his uncle with this beautiful woman, as Brock described."

The breeder nodded eagerly. This earned him a smack on the arm by May.

"And then you both went searching door-to-door to see if anyone had noticed me go by, which is how you ended here with Dawn and her mom, right?"

"That's right!" May chimed excitingly.

 _"_ _Dang, what a small world…"_ Ash thought to himself. _"I'm starting to believe this 'fate' stuff can't be changed…if my friends were meant to meet each other even without my help, does that mean I can't escape my fate? I guess we'll see when this is over…"_

"Okay," Joanna exclaimed loudly to get everyone's attention. "It's getting late and dinner is almost ready. How about you all spend the night here and get an early start in the morning, huh?"

Ash was about to decline when Dawn spoke up.

"That's a great idea!"

"Sure," Brock shrugged and agreed. "It wouldn't hurt to rest for one night before traveling."

Ash sighed exhaustedly, knowing he wasted a day that could have helped him. May saw his expression and walked over to him as everyone else made their way to the kitchen.

"What's wrong, Ash?" She asked concerningly while putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Hmm?" He looked up and saw May with a worried expression. "Nothing. I guess I'm just tired with everything that's happened today."

"Did something else happened when you were looking for us?"

Ash steadily gazed into her eyes not knowing whether he should tell her the truth or not. _"It wouldn't make a difference if I told her. I mean, she'd still be in the same danger she is right now being with me…"_ He thought about his response briefly before making a decision. "Yeah, something else did happened…"

May quickly sat down next to Ash. She could see the frustration and distress in his eyes—his eyes that were usually so warm, she told herself. She noticed he took a deep breath and was about to say something.

"I-I…" Ash uttered before calming himself. "I got wet…a lot."

She stared at him blankly for a few seconds before giggling.

"I can tell," May said as she eyed his clothes that were sticking to his body. They appeared to be drying, but they were still somewhat wet. "I'll go ask Dawn if you could use her shower, so you don't get sick."

Ash was about to argue but figured there would be no point, so he simply nodded.

May stood up and began to walk to the kitchen. She stopped just before leaving the room and turned to the trainer.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you found Pikachu, and you guys are both safe…" May said innocently. With that she disappeared into the kitchen.

Ash viewed her leave and processed what happened. _"Well, at least she's not mad at me for not meeting her at the docks."_ He then started to think about how he and Pikachu would find Celebi. _"She said she wouldn't come back until it was time for us to go back to our time,"_ Ash remembered. _"But, we really need to talk her…"_

"Hey, Ash!"

The trainer looked up to see Dawn calling him.

"The shower is upstairs on your left when you want to use it, okay?" She gladly stated.

"Thanks," Ash replied. "I'll grab my stuff and take one before I eat."

"Alright, but don't take too long because we're gonna wait for you!" Dawn said as she walked away.

 _"_ _I swear she's more pushy this time around…"_

After Ash took a shower, he felt the rest of the evening went by rather quickly. They did nothing but talk future endeavors and stuff they could do as they traveled. Brock then had asked Ash what he was doing when the storm happened and what it was like. The trainer simply responded that he and Pikachu were making their way from the docks when the rain started. He finished by saying that they were about to hide under a tree when it suddenly stopped. After hearing his explanation, and to the trainer's delight, everyone believed what he said and changed the subject. Brock had then asked how Ash got so strong to which the trainer responded he trained with his Pokémon rather than just looking at him. Brock nodded in realization and told him that his muscles would help attract the ladies' attention. This earned the breeder two smacks on the arm by both May and Dawn.

It was a little after nine o'clock when everyone decided it was time to get some rest. Joanna arranged the living room so that Brock and Ash would be able to sleep on the floor while May would be sleeping in Dawn's room.

Ash thought the best time to try and find Celebi would be when everybody was asleep. He didn't really think he would find her, but Pikachu suggested to go for a walk like they did last time when she appeared. The mouse believed they'd get lucky like before. The time travelers waited about two hours under the warm blankets they were given before making their move.

Ash slowly turned his head to look at the sleeping breeder. When he heard Brock snore, the trainer alerted Pikachu it was their moment to act. Ash gradually removed the blankets and put on his shoes. He was already wearing his jeans while lying on the floor as he knew it'd waste time to take them off earlier and put them back on later. He then went into his bag and pulled out a blue sweater to keep himself warm. With that he signaled Pikachu to jump on his shoulder, and they quietly headed out of the door.

The duo walked for ten minutes before stopping in a clearing in the middle of the grassy fields. It was easy to view where they were heading as the full moon illuminated the vast land like a light in a house. Luckily for Ash and Pikachu, there was no one in sight. The trainer breathed the fresh air deeply before speaking to his companion.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Pika pika pi pika," Pikachu said thoughtfully as he placed his paw on his little chin. "Pikachu pi pika pika…"

"Really?" Ash said crossing his arms as he gave the rodent a stern look. "I should get you some ketchup while you think of something that might work…?"

Pikachu shrugged his little shoulders.

"Pikachu pika pika, Pikapi."

"What do you mean 'if I say so?' I didn't say that's what I was gonna do!" Ash countered. "I was just repeating what you said!"

"Pika kapi pika!"

"I'm not going back on my word because I didn't say anything!"

"Hehehehe!" Echoed a childish voice. "You guys are funny!"

Ash and Pikachu quickly stopped arguing and turned around to see who was laughing. To their surprise, there was no one in sight.

"Do you see anything, buddy?" Ash whispered to Pikachu.

"Pi."

"Damn…"

"Of course, he doesn't see anyone," the strange voice responded happily. "I haven't made myself visible, yet." On cue, a small, bright flash appeared in front of the trainer and his Pokémon and blinded them. After the light disappeared, the duo could see the Pokémon they were searching for. "Hi, guys!" Celebi exclaimed. "I kinda figured you were gonna need me to show up sooner than we thought!"

Both Ash and Pikachu were shocked at first but knew they should have expected a weird and surprising entrance from Celebi. Ash was the first to shake off his initial reaction and knew he had to get to the point.

"Celebi, we ran into someone earlier today who knew—,"

"I know, Ash…" She interrupted disappointingly. "I wouldn't have come otherwise if I didn't…"

"Who was he?" The trainer hoped to get answers.

"Honestly, I don't know," she frowned, turning away from them shamefully that she wasn't able to answer their question. "They won't let me see his face—they wouldn't let me see any of their faces. They are being extra cautious about who gets to know what they look like."

Ash gave her a confused look. "Are you saying there is more than one person out to kill us?"

Celebi turned and slowly nodded.

"Pikachu pi?"

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "how many?"

"Five…"

"There are four other trainers like the one today trying to kill us?" Ash repeated, wanting to be sure.

Celebi nodded once more.

Ash rubbed his hands against his face in frustration. He looked towards Pikachu and saw he was still processing the information. The trainer then remembered something Celebi said.

"Wait, you said _they_ won't let you see that guy's face," he said. "Who's _they_?"

The legendary Pokémon nervously glanced back-and-forth between the Ash and Pikachu. She knew they were not going to like the answer she was about to give them. "I can't say…"

Ash grunted angrily. He was not getting any information that could help them.

"You have to understand," Celebi tried to reason. "If I give away that information to you both right now, then they'll come after you right now and end your lives at this moment."

"Pikachu pika?" Pikachu asked.

"I know," Ash complied with his buddy. "Why don't they just do it and get it over with?"

"They want to do it discretely," Celebi responded. "If they wanted to, they could get rid of your entire existence, but doing that would affect the world in ways they don't want…killing you in this timeline wouldn't be as severe."

Ash chuckled slightly as he rubbed his hands against his head. "This is sounding so stupid and hard to believe the more I hear," he exasperated. He shook his head to clear his thoughts before continuing. "So, we must watch out for five trainers that are out to get us, and we're only getting help from you because the other legendary Pokémon don't want to get involved, right? I guess that's not too bad," Ash finished in a sarcastic tone.

Celebi giggled and crossed her arms. "You guys are funny! And, no, I'm not the only one that's trying to help you. There's one other legendary Pokémon who has been helping."

Ash and Pikachu's eyes widened in excitement after hearing her statement.

"Okay," the trainer spoke for both. "Who is the other?"

"Jirachi!" Celebi exclaimed.

"T-That's actually not bad." Ash smiled to a perplexed Pikachu. "Remember when we met Jirachi in the past? The legend says that when it awakens, it could grant any wish for an entire week."

Pikachu smiled in realization.

"Well," the green Pokémon interrupted. "That's not entirely true in this case…"

"What do you mean?" Ash asked. "That's what the legend says."

"That legend is only true if Jirachi awakens after sleeping for a thousand years," she clarified. "I had to wake it up earlier, so it could help with our situation. When I did that, Jirachi was only able to grant one wish…"

"A-Alright," he said, still with hope. "At least we still have the one wish you said it could grant when it woke up, right? Am I right?"

Celebi slowly shook her head. After seeing her response, Ash sighed loudly.

"Let me guess…" He trailed off.

"I used it to give you both your younger bodies," Celebi finished.

 **Alright, that's it for this chapter. I know this update was more filler than anything, but it was necessary to answer some unanswered questions in this story. If you all still have concerns about anything in the story, PM me and I'll respond.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed it. I promise the next chapter won't take as long to write. Happy holidays to those who celebrate them!**

 **-RedHood06**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Pokémon.**

 **I want to say thanks to everyone that reviews the story. Whether you tell me you like where it's heading or say that you're starting to hate it, I enjoy reading what you all think. I don't mind the criticism at all—I can take it. I wouldn't be writing these stories if I didn't expect some readers to criticize the direction and plot. With that being said, I will try to answer the questions you all ask in the reviews. But, not all answers will be obvious—they'll be subtle, so just be sure to read carefully.**

 **Chapter 14**

The group had left Joanna's house early in the morning to get a head-start to Sandgem Town. Dawn told her mom not to worry and that she would do her best in the Pokémon Contests and make it to the Grand Festival. The two shared a heartfelt hug and exchanged a sad goodbye. Everyone else also said their goodbyes and began heading towards the forest leading to their destination.

"Hey, Brock, how much more 'til we get to Sandgem Town?"

"It shouldn't be too long, May," Dawn responded before the breeder could estimate. "I'd say another ten minutes or so; I remember the trees were smaller closer to the exit, and if you haven't noticed, they have been getting smaller."

May curiously glanced around her surroundings to the trees and realized Dawn was right.

 _"_ _They have been getting smaller,"_ she thought as she peered. _"The ones we saw when we first entered the forest were way taller."_

At the moment, they had been treading down the path for half an hour. May, Brock, and Dawn were leading the way while Ash and Pikachu were slowly falling behind them; the latter two were in deep thought regarding everything they learned the night before.

 _"_ _There are four more other trainers trying to kill me and Pikachu…"_ Ash kept reciting the sentence in his head. He was still trying to fathom that there were others like the man who challenged him yesterday. He realized that he would have to be better prepared just in case another appeared at random, so he concluded to carry six Pokémon with him—something he didn't want to do at the start of the journey. _"I can't risk being unprepared; what if more than one challenged me at the same time? One was tough enough…I have to be able to protect my friends."_

"Ash?"

The trainer's trance was broken when he heard his name.

"Yeah, Brock?" He asked in a calm voice, noticing the breeder had fallen behind to talk with him.

"Is something wrong? Ever since you woke up, you've been kinda…lost."

Ash smiled and slowly shook his head dismissively. "No, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired with everything I did yesterday."

"Alright, if you say so," Brock replied uneasily, still unconvinced.

"There's no need to worry," the trainer reassured. "Pikachu feels the same way. Right, buddy?" He turned to his shoulder to see the little mouse asleep in a safe and comfortable position. "Well, I guess that proves my point."

"Yeah, I guess it does," Brock chuckled as he viewed the peaceful expression on Pikachu's face. "I'll go tell May and Dawn that you're both just tired. They seemed really worried about you."

"Well, like you said, I'm not really acting like myself, so I wouldn't doubt that they are."

"True," Brock agreed wholeheartedly. "They were actually gonna come check on you, but I told them I'd do it."

"Good call," Ash praised. "I don't think they would've believed a word I said even with Pikachu asleep…and even if they did, I doubt they'd let me walk on my own for the rest of the way."

"Don't worry," he eased. "I'll keep them walking ahead of you until we reach the lab or until you catch up. Sound good?"

"Thanks, Brock. I appreciate it."

With that the breeder increased his pace to meet up with the girls and tell them what he knew. When Brock was away at a safe distance, Ash spoke up.

"Nice job, buddy," he commended his Pokémon.

"Pikachu," the little mouse said lowly, still in the same position with his eyes closed to keep the illusion.

"You know for a moment, you had me convinced, too."

"Pika pika pikachu."

Ash sighed. "Yeah, alright, you have gotten better from a month ago."

Pikachu patted his friend's shoulder for admitting the truth.

"Pikachu?"

"Pi?"

"It's gonna be dangerous for everyone around us from here-on-out." Pikachu just listened intently as he continued. "There's no telling what these people will do to stop us. If they're trying to kill us because we're trying to change the future, then I think they'll do anything and everything to get the upper hand…that means hurting our friends."

Ash could feel little sparks of electricity emitting from Pikachu's red cheeks—probably from anger. The trainer decided he would get to the point before he started thinking of rash ideas, too.

"I don't think I'm going to use you in any gym battles."

This time Pikachu opened his eyes surprisingly. "Pi?"

"Yes, really." Ash glanced forward to see his friends. May and Dawn seemed to be laughing at something Brock did because he was sulking as they walked. "I need you to always be at full strength just in case something happens unexpectedly. Do you know what I mean, buddy?"

Pikachu was silent at first. He had always been a part of collecting gym badges with Ash for as long as he could remember, so to be ask not to was unthinkable. But, he understood the circumstances were different right now and knew his best friend had a bigger role for him to play. Coming to that realization, the yellow mouse smiled and pumped his fists while nodding.

Ash returned the smile and patted his head.

"Thanks, buddy. I knew you'd understand," he said appreciatively. "But if you really want to, I'll use you in whatever battle you want."

Pikachu thought about it for a second before replying.

"Pi pika pikachu pika, Pikapi."

"You only want to battle in one gym match?" Ash interpreted.

Pikachu nodded.

"Okay…which one?"

"Pikachu pika pika."

"The last one?" Ash thought about the gym leaders and tried to remember which one his friend was referring to. "That's Volkner, right?"

Pikachu grinned confidently as he explained his reasoning for choosing the Electric-using gym leader.

"Alright, I think I understand," Ash began as he gathered his thoughts. "You want to face him because he's cocky, right?"

The mouse nodded again.

"And you want to humiliate him by beating him by yourself?"

Pikachu nodded once more.

Ash sighed after hearing his reasons. However, after a few seconds he began to chuckle.

"That would be pretty funny, huh?" he said as he grinned. "Alright. He's all yours if that's what you really want. Don't be too confident, though; he is a tough trainer…let's go catch up with the others."

The rest of the walk in the forest was quite fast. After Ash and Pikachu caught up to the trio up ahead, it took another five minutes to depart from nature and enter Sandgem Town. From there, it took a few more minutes to reach the professor's lab. Dawn was the first to reach the entrance to the facility and turned briefly to speak to her new friends.

"You guys are going to like Professor Rowan!" She said happily. "He's nice, wise, and has a 'grandpa' vibe to him."

"He kinda sounds like Professor Oak," Brock commented earnestly. "They're probably good friends."

Dawn's eyes widened and mouth opened slightly in disbelief.

"You know Professor Oak?" She questioned hastily.

The trio nodded smoothly.

"AAHHH!" Dawn screeched, which caused everyone to cover their ears with their hands. "You have to introduce me to him one day—I'd love to meet him!"

"Let me guess," Ash said knowingly as he brought his hands down. "You're a fan of his poetry, am I right?" He thought telling this truth would not arouse suspicion.

She nodded eagerly. "Who isn't?!" Dawn exasperated. "They're so beautiful and touching…oh, they just speak the words of my soul and heart."

 _"_ _Wow, that's creepy,"_ Ash thought. _"I knew she enjoyed them because she'd always drag me along to listen to the professor's poems live in the future, but I didn't know it was this bad when she was young."_

"Uh, Ash?" The trainer noticed May had slowly moved closely next to him and whispered. "I've heard a few of Professor Oak's poems, and, uh, I have to say they're… _unique_."

 _"_ _That's a generous way of putting it,"_ he thought as he continued looking at Dawn wearing a daydream expression on her face.

"I guess I haven't heard the good ones, maybe…?" May assumed in a shy tone.

"No, you've heard his best," Ash confirmed disappointingly. "I think she's just a big fan, that's all."

Suddenly, the laboratory door behind Dawn opened abruptly and out came the person they came to see.

"What's with the ruckus outside my lab?" Professor Rowan huffed irritatingly. He glanced swiftly at the teens around and changed his expression when he saw the blue-haired girl. "Dawn? Were you the one hollering?"

"O-Oh, I'm sorry, professor," she sincerely apologized. "I just got excited over something my friends said." Dawn then realized something. She moved aside and gestured the professor to view her companions. "These are my new friends I made yesterday. I'm going to be traveling with them through the Sinnoh Region."

"Hmm, it's nice to meet you all," Rowan said after everyone introduced themselves. He then walked over to stand in front of Ash and Pikachu before he continued. "I knew who you were when I first saw you, Ash. I've heard a great deal about you from Samuel—to say he praises you highly would be an understatement."

Ash merely smiled and replied truthfully. "Well, I've learned plenty from Professor Oak to be grateful for."

"He told me you were in the Sinnoh Region a few months back. He believed that you visited my laboratory then, but I told him no _,_ which surprised him greatly. Was there any specific reason you didn't?"

Everyone glanced at Ash after hearing the professor's statement. May, especially, was intently regarding Ash—not knowing what to make of it.

 _"_ _So, he did come to Sinnoh by himself,"_ she grasped in her thoughts. _"I guess that explains all the new Pokémon he has…the question is why? If he didn't challenge the gyms, was he here just to catch Pokémon? But why couldn't he wait until now?"_ May heard Ash reply that he was just passing by and too busy to visit. _"There has to be a reason why…"_

"Very well." The old man was satisfied with the response and figured he should address the real reason he approached the trainer. "I'd like to ask you for a small favor," he began. "There's a young man around your age in my lab looking to battle a couple of trainers. After hearing the way you were from Samuel, I assumed you and Dawn would show up today to clear up the misunderstanding with Pikachu and visit my lab, so I told him to wait while you both arrived. Seeing that there are more of you, however, I'll let you decide amongst yourselves who will battle him. That is if you accept my offer…"

"Of course, professor," Ash gladly inclined. _"I have a feeling I know who it is, too."_

Rowan nodded and asked them to follow him inside the lab to make their way to his outer facility in the back. As they were walking through the large building, Rowan thought he would describe the young man waiting.

"I should warn you," the old man said seriously without turning his head. "The trainer waiting has a unique way of viewing his Pokémon." He continued conversing while leading the group down a long hallway. "I, myself, don't condone his methods, but every trainer is entitled to do and believe as he or she pleases. However…I think he may change after meeting you, Ash."

 _"_ _Yeah, it's him,"_ Ash concluded.

"So, what is there to warn us about?" Brock questioned curiously. He thought there was nothing about the mysterious trainer that sounded threatening.

"You all seem like decent children that know about Pokémon," Rowan inclined as they approached the back door. He turned the handle and opened it as he finished. "You'll understand in a minute."

The lab's backyard was similar to Professor Oak's own ranch. There was a vast grassland with many new Pokémon unknown to Brock, May, and Dawn. The lakes were slightly smaller than the ones Oak possessed, but the beautiful low-cut grass compensated for it. The group could see a purple-haired teen with his hands in his pocket staring away from them into a lake.

"Go ahead and walk up to him," the professor suggested. "He knows you're coming, so you won't startle him. I need to return and make sure my comrades are continuing their research on evolution."

"I'll go with you, professor," Ash added. "I want to talk to you about something if that's okay with you?"

Rowan nodded.

"Very well. Follow me," he gestured.

Ash turned to his friends quickly and flashed them a smile.

"I'll be back in a minute," he promised. "You guys go ahead and challenge him, but don't take him lightly—he looks pretty strong." He turned away before any of them had time to respond.

Brock, though confused at first, shrugged and told the girls to follow him to the strange teen's position. As they closed the distance, they noticed the purple-haired teen's apparel. He was wearing a blue-black jacket with grey baggy pants. Surprisingly, he turned to face them when they were a few feet away from him. He held a very serious expression as he studied Brock, Dawn, and May.

"Hello," the mysterious said in a calm tone as he bowed. He looked back to them and continued. "My name is Paul…you're the ones that Professor Rowan said would challenge me?"

"Hi, Paul. I'm Dawn!" She exclaimed. "And yes, we are."

"It's nice to meet you, Paul. My name is Brock."

"And I'm May!" The brunette added gleefully.

Paul nodded to everyone and continued to glare at them. He did nothing as his expression sustained on the trio for a little while longer, which began to make Dawn and May feel uncomfortable. Suddenly, he started walking towards them—slightly startling the girls. However, he nonchalantly treaded past them—leaving them by themselves in front of the lake he positioned earlier.

"Um…where are you going?" May called out as she watched Paul.

"I'm leaving."

"But, aren't we supposed to battle?" Brock interjected.

"You're not worth my time."

"Excuse me?" Dawn asked. The irritation in her voice was clear.

Paul stopped and turned to face them. "I said none of you would be worth my time," he stated; his tone was calm. "I can tell just by looking at your faces that you're not strong enough to take me on."

"Appearances don't say much if you ask me," Brock retorted as he crossed his arms. He didn't like the teen's tone.

"Really?" Paul said sarcastically. "I guess that's why nobody asked you, then…" He began making his way back to confront his would-be challengers. He continued his remark as he stood fiercely in front of them. "I suppose you're gonna say that power and strength don't determine the outcome of battles, right? Or something along the lines of friendship and what-not…?"

"Well, yeah," May sassily replied. "Winning Pokémon battles is not only because of powerful Pokémon, but the bond that the person shares with their Pokémon as well." She smiled as she remembered everything she learned since she began her journey. "It's about the love you have for them that determines battles…and even then, winning isn't everything. As long as you both had fun, everyone is a winner."

Brock smiled confidently and proudly after May finished while Dawn was giving the brunette an admiring expression. However, the reaction was the opposite for the purple-haired teen.

Paul glared intently at May before responding.

"Whoever taught you about Pokémon is full of shit," he said plainly, causing everyone to gape. "Do you really believe that love and friendship win battles? You all are more stupid than I thought…alright, fine. I'll give one of you the chance to prove me wrong in a battle." Paul grabbed a Poké ball from his belt and enlarged it. "If you beat me—by some miracle—I'll apologize for calling you stupid, but if I win, the both of you," he pointed at Dawn and May, "have to skip the first-two Pokémon Contests."

May and Dawn's eyes widened as they gasped at his proposal.

"H-How did you know we were coordinators?" May stuttered.

"Like I said, I can tell a lot by looking at someone. So, do we have a deal or what?"

Brock stepped forward wearing s serious expression.

"No," he stated, staring directly into Paul's eyes. "You don't deserve to battle any one of us. I don't care what you call us, there's no way we'd agree to harsh terms like that. You can just—,"

"Wait!"

Brock stopped and turned surprisingly to his friend's outburst.

"I want to face him!" May declared as she stepped passed the breeder; the seriousness and confidence in her eyes were evident. "I'll agree to your terms, Paul."

"But May—," Brock began before feeling a hand on his shoulder. He saw Dawn shaking her head.

"Let her do it," the blue-haired teen stated while smiling. "She needs to do this, and I believe in her to win for both of us…and you should, too…"

Brock thought about it for a few seconds before sighing and nodding.

"Alright." He looked back to May and smiled. "I believe in you, May. You can do it!"

May nodded and focused her attention back to Paul.

 _"_ _I can't let him get away with insulting us,"_ she thought. _"He doesn't care about hurting other people's feelings."_

"Are we going to do this, or are you just gonna look at me?" Paul arrogantly said.

 _"_ _This is one of the first people Dawn met on her journey—a big jerk. He made fun of my friends and what we believe in…what Ash has taught us,"_ May thought angrily. She pulled out a Poké ball and threw it in the air. "Go, Eevee!"

Out came the little brown fox smiling and ready to battle.

"After all that dramatic stuff, you sent out an Eevee," Paul insulted as he stepped back to give room for the battle. "That's disappointing."

"I'm going to prove to you power isn't everything. I believe in my Pokémon!"

"Fine, but you'll regret it." Paul threw his Poké ball in the air. "Magby, stand by for battle!"

"Bee!" Magby growled when it appeared.

"Eevee, use Swift!" May yelled.

Eevee jumped in the air and quickly fired a barrage of glowing, white stars towards a still Magby.

"Take it," was all Paul said.

The red Pokémon hastily brought its hands over its face as the stars collided against it, causing it to wince in pain. The more the Swift landed, the more Magby grimaced in pain and was being pushed back.

"Break it off."

After hearing the order, Magby clenched its fists tightly before rapidly swinging them away from its face, destroying the rest of the Swift attack.

"Don't let it recover," May called to Eevee. "Use Quick Attack to get close!"

"Vee!" The brown Pokémon swiftly landed on the ground and jolted at incredible speed toward her opponent. She was a few inches when Paul reacted.

"Use Fire Punch!"

To everyone's surprise, when Eevee dove at Magby, the Fire-type leisurely bent its body backwards, dodging the attack. As Eevee was hovering it, Magby's fist engulfed itself in fire and launched it into the brown fox's gut, causing her to fly up and yelp.

"Eevee!" May yelled concerningly as her Pokémon crashed into the field a few feet from her. She saw her slowly get up. "Can you go on?"

"Vui!" Eevee weakly, yet confidently, stated.

"Great!" The coordinator then began to think of a strategy. _"Eevee's best attacks are from far away, but they don't seem to be doing anything at a distance…that's it!"_

"Magby, use Ember," Paul commanded.

Magby fired tons of fire pellets at a rapid pace.

"Dodge and use Quick Attack once more!" May countered.

"You don't learn fast, do you?" Paul commented. "Stop and wait for it."

The Fire-type halted its Ember attack that was missing the zig-zagging target and took a defensive stance. Eevee increased her speed tremendously after the Ember stopped and rapidly headed to Magby's position, confident in her trainer's strategy. She was a few feet away when she heard another demand.

"Shadow Ball!"

Paul, not anticipating the attack, reacted hastily.

"Block it!"

However, it was too late as the dark ball was inches away from Magby. The attack crashed against Magby's little body, causing an explosion and it to fly back.

"Yeah! Good job, Eevee!" May praised as her Pokémon stood strongly in front of her. She returned her attention back to the field as the smoke cleared. To her surprise, Magby was still standing.

"I'll admit I didn't expect that strategy from you," Paul said. He smirked as he continued. "But, that was a one-time thing. Magby, use Smog!"

The Fire Pokémon breathed in deeply before puffing out a large amount of dark-purple smoke in the air. In a few seconds, the noxious gas surrounded the field, causing the recipients to cover their mouths and noses.

"E-Eevee…try not to breathe it in," May said in between coughs.

Suddenly, the Smog reduced its range to only surround Eevee. She knelt as the scent and attack felt stronger.

"Finish it with Ember!"

"Mag-BEE!" It yelled as it fired another set of pellets towards the smoke-covered Eevee. The Ember had barely touched the noxious gas when it erupted around the brown fox.

"EEVEE!" May shouted. When the dust cleared, everyone could see the small Pokémon fainted on the ground. May quickly ran over to her fallen friend and picked her up. "Eevee, are you okay?"

"Vui…" Eevee responded weakly with a small smile.

"Thank goodness…you did great out there, Eevee. You deserve a long rest." May pulled out her Poké ball and recalled her. Brock and Dawn had run over to her location and were standing behind her when she stood up. "I'm sorry, Dawn…I thought I could prove him wrong, but I—I ended up losing both our chances to compete in two contests. I'm really sorry…"

"There's no need to worry. I believed in you to battle for both of us, remember," Dawn smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "I knew there was a chance you could lose, but I wasn't worried about what would happen in the end because that's what friends do. It's weird…I hardly know you, but I trust you so easily."

May smiled compassionately. "To tell you the truth, I feel the same way…it is weird, but I don't mind."

"We're all just weird in our own way!" Brock added, causing the girls to laugh. Their moment was interrupted by a stern voice.

"I guess our battle didn't teach any of you anything," Paul said, holding his normal expression. Everyone returned his intensity. "Well, a deal is a deal. I'm not going to keep tabs on both of you," he said looking at May and Dawn. "But, I hope you can at least keep your word. It's very easy to do…even for weak trainers."

"Don't worry," Dawn calmly replied. "We're not heartless people like you."

Paul slightly chuckled. "You think 'I'm heartless'? That tells y—,"

"He's not heartless, Dawn," a voice said behind the purple-haired teen. "He's just weak."

Hearing those words caused May, Dawn, and Brock to smile, but it caused Paul to turn around slowly with a serious expression. They saw Ash with his arms crossed and Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Who are you?" Paul asked sternly, eyeing the man from head to toe.

"My name is Ash Ketchum, and this my buddy, Pikachu," he said as Pikachu waved to the teen.

"…How old are you?" Paul questioned, not knowing if he was talking to someone his age.

"I'm fifteen," Ash stated. _"I think…"_

"I'd greet you, but you insulted me, so there's no point. Besides, I'm guessing your friends with these people," Paul gestured his head towards the trio behind him, "so I'm not the one who's weak."

"Do you want to test it with a battle?" Ash suggested.

"No, there's no need. I already beat one of you losers, so it wouldn't be worth my time." Paul began walking past Ash as he continued. "Just because your physical physique is strong doesn't mean your Pokémon are, too."

"How can you tell?"

"Like I told your friends, I'm pretty good at reading people."

"We can prove if you're right with a battle."

"I can tell you're hard-of-hearing, so I'll tell you one more time—I'm leaving."

Ash watched as Paul was making his way towards the exit of the facility. He knew what he had to say to get the purple-haired teen coming back. He smiled when he thought of Paul having to make his way back to battle. The raven-haired trainer allowed him to get some distance before calling out.

"That's too bad," Ash said loudly so Paul could hear. "I thought I'd beat you down just like I like beat Reggie…"

Paul stopped suddenly and stood facing away from the group. "What did you say?" The calmness in voice sounded very threatening.

 _"_ _Gotcha."_ Ash grinned as he knew he'd won. "I said you're not as good as your brother. I saw the way you battled against May, and Reggie is way stronger. He understood that power isn't everything, and he put up a good fight."

"Power is everything," Paul said seriously, turning around to make his way towards Ash's position. "That is why he probably didn't win against you." When he was around forty meters away from the insulting trainer, Paul stopped and pulled out a Poké ball. "I'll make quick work of you just like your friend."

"Quick work? I saw you struggle against May."

"So, you were watching my battle to come up with a strategy to beat me, huh?"

"Nope. I was watching the way she battled," Ash corrected; behind him, Dawn was nudging May that the trainer was watching her which caused the brunette to slightly blush. "Eevee isn't that strong, and I thought she would lose after taking that direct Fire Punch, but she got back up because May had faith in her."

"You're full of that shit, too, huh?"

"I'm the preacher, Paul…"

Paul frowned slightly as he glared at Ash.

"Alright, I'm ready to battle," he stated. "Let's make it interesting like I did with your friends…unless you're scared."

"What is it?"

"If you win, I'll get rid of the previous bet, so your friends can compete in contests again," Paul exclaimed, which shocked Brock, May, and Dawn. "But, if I win…you can't compete in the Sinnoh League this time around."

"Deal."

"Don't do it, Ash!" May shouted. "It's not worth the risk."

"Yeah, May and I can wait to participate in the Pokémon Contests," Dawn added.

"It's okay. I'm not going to lose," Ash reassured them with a smile. He turned back to Paul. "So, are you ready?"

Paul simply threw his Poké ball in the air and revealed the small yellow Pokémon, Elekid.

"You're up, Pikachu."

Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder onto the field. He knew this would be a match that wouldn't have the same outcome as the first time.

"Just like the girl behind you," Paul commented as he smirked. "All that talk only to choose a little Pikachu. Elekid, use Thundershock."

Elekid's hands began to vibrate quickly as it sent the electricity towards Pikachu.

"Dodge it, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu sidestepped and dodged the attack.

"Now, use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu heard the command and rushed the Elekid. The mouse zig-zagged to throw his opponent off—or just to show off. When he was near it, Pikachu jumped up and whipped his metallic tail against Elekid.

"Block it," they heard Paul say.

With a confident look, Elekid lifted one of its hands to block the Iron Tail, but it missed its interception and Pikachu's attack continued forward, crashing directly against Elekid's face and pounding it to the ground ferociously. Paul viewed shockingly as his Pokémon lie unconscious in a small crater after one attack.

 _"_ _Well, that was anticlimactic. I guess Pikachu was tired of wasting time,"_ Ash thought to himself. "Good job, buddy!"

"Pikachu!" The mouse ran back to his trainer and jumped onto his shoulder.

Paul walked over to his Pokémon and recalled it. "Pitiful…" He then looked over towards Ash and bowed briefly before continuing. "A deal is a deal. I'll withdraw my previous demands." With that he turned to walk away. He was about to exit the facility when he called out to Ash. "Next time I won't underestimate your power."

Ash viewed his old friend leave and an idea suddenly came into his head.

 _"_ _Maybe I can tell him…"_

"Ash!"

Before the trainer could respond, both May and Dawn tackled him with a hug. Brock just stood by as he watched it happen. They let go of Ash and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked as he rubbed his arm.

"What took you so long?" May exclaimed.

"Yeah, that guy was totally being a jerk to us!" Dawn joined in.

"I wanted to get some of my Pokémon from Professor Oak, and it took me awhile to decide on who I wanted," Ash explained.

"True, but you told Paul you watched the battle with May," Brock concluded.

"Uh, well, it didn't take me _that_ long to get the Pokémon I—Ow!" May had slapped his arm again. "Could you stop hitting me!"

"Well, that's what you get," May said as she crossed her arms, looking away from him.

Ash sighed.

"How about we head out?" Brock proposed, noticing the odd tension. "We can probably make it to the next city before it gets dark."

"Yeah, May and I have to register for the Pokémon Contests!" Dawn indicated.

"That reminds me," Ash interjected. "One of Professor Rowan's assistants had mentioned that there was going to be a contest tomorrow in Jubilife City."

May and Dawn looked at one another and perked up.

"Let's get going then!" The brunette said, grabbing Ash's left hand.

"We have to get there before tomorrow!" Dawn had grabbed Ash's right hand and helped May drag him out of the facility.

Brock chuckled as he watched the scene. He quickly began to follow closely behind them.

"While I'm walking, and you're being dragged, do you mind explaining how you know Paul's brother…?" The breeder asked his old companion.

"It's kinda a long story," Ash proclaimed while being pulled. _"I guess May doesn't remember what happened last time she tried pulling me…I guess it doesn't matter now that Dawn is helping her…Ow my arm!"_

"We've got time, so you can go ahead and tell us."

 _"_ _Time, huh…it's funny how that seems to be coming up a lot more when I talk."_ Ash nodded to Brock and began describing a deconstructive history of Paul and his brother.

 **Alright, that's it for this chapter. I meant to put this up last week, but things came up and now it's up this week.**

 **It is moving somewhat so, but that's going to change in the next few chapters. There will be some slight time jumps but nothing too great—just small things I think are less important to the story.**

 **For those of you that reviewed and had a question, hopefully I answered it. If you did, just read the chapter carefully, and it should be answered.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you all think. Like I said, I enjoy reading all criticisms you all have.**

 **-RedHood06**


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